The Reapers Lullaby
by PickurePoison01
Summary: Surviving winter, scavenging meagerly, and surrounded by ravenous Walkers. Rick Grimes and his group desperately try to survive under these dire circumstances each and every day. But when a hooded figure wielding a reaping scythe saves them all from certain death, they can do nothing but trust this person and the unbelievable safe haven they encounter. Eventual Rick/OC
1. Chapter 1

The sky began to darken with erratic clouds as a rush of violent wind carried itself through an empty town. Broken window shafts beat against the side of the building walls and wet paper helplessly clung wet to the side of cars. Trees whispered silently with each other through the voice of their rustling leaves, warning that the storm rapidly approaching might inflict damage on the unwary shrubbery. Corpses that were ripped to shreds lied dormant in abandoned vehicles that were left behind by the living. A light blanket of snow plagued the concrete and grass in the small town, making the buildings shudder under its tyranny.

The undead stretched their frozen limbs out through the snow and sauntered about the streets. They grumbled and snarled while stumbling on their feet, their decaying eyes scanning their surroundings for any sign of life; _any sign of food._ Birds were nowhere in sight and most likely took to the greater south to escape the cold of winter that threatened their very lifestyle. The undead fixated themselves on a new sound that flooded their keen ears, most turning around the face the moving object barreling towards them. As they moved in the small herd, a couple fell to the ground in defeat to the cold, the others ignoring their comrade's cries as they passed by them. The ones who went down clawed and crawled their way through the cold snow to try and keep up with the others. Their tongues drooled at the thought of warm flesh in their mouths and hoped the object speeding towards them could be a potential feast.

These objects were vehicles and they challengingly forced themselves through the tough wind that combated the trucks steel. There were three vehicles that came to an abrupt halt at a three way intersection: one red Chevy, one green SUV, and one large silver Dodge with a motorcycle strapped down tightly in the back.

"Take 'em all out silently. We'll take the streets and find supplies!" The group's leader barked at his fellow survivors over the howling wind. They braced their hand held weapons tightly in their fingers and moved into formation, sticking to each other like glue.

"There's too many Walkers, Rick!" A young Asian man's voice wavered as he directed his words towards his leader. Rick looked over his shoulder at him as they inched closer towards the impending herd,

"Don't break rank! We've got to do this!" He whirled his head around just in time to see a decaying face and slammed his machete into its brain. With a sharp hiss, he kicked it to the ground with his boot and once he shed first blood, carnage began to ensue.

Arms swung like authentic killing machines and blood spewed upon the innocent white snow all around them. Bodies of the Walkers thumped loudly against the ground as they were put out of their misery and dying grumbles escaped their airless throats. The desperate survivors fought and protected their weak ones with every ounce of dwindling strength they had. Determined to find whatever food and supplies that hid in the abandoned buildings dark depths, Rick pushed forward along with his right hand man; a tall, lean man brandishing a crossbow strapped to his back. The grip on his nine-inch knife tightened and he jumped on a Walker, plunging the blade deep into its undead eye. Slowly, the group began to spread out from one another to take out any remaining Walkers that slowly made their way towards them.

"Daryl!" Rick's voice growled loudly and Daryl's eyes turned to see a Walker lunging at Rick's pregnant wife. His backwoods reactions were quick and his rough hand latched onto the back of the Walker's dirty shirt. With an abrupt yank, the Walker fell to the ground and Daryl shoved his knee against the corpse's chest, ramming his knife into its head. Daryl looked back at Rick's wife, Lori, and nodded at her thankful eyes.

"Is that it?" Glenn, the young Asian man, asked with curiosity. His eyes searched the surrounding area for anymore approaching Walkers,

"Looks like we got most of them for now." Maggie said with confirmation and Glenn looked back at her. Rick quickly approached them, his boots sloshing through the powdery snow.

"Everyone take your weapons and split up into two-man teams. Only use your guns if absolutely necessary. Find what you can and if there's any trouble, shoot once."

With a few weary nods, the group split up in their teams and fanned out amongst the streets to scavenge the nearby buildings. Rick and Daryl quickly moved towards the gun store they had been eyeing ever since arriving in the town moments ago. Daryl yanked the crossbow from his shoulder and pressed the butt against his shoulder, raising it in front of him warily. Rick tightened his cold fingers around the handle of his machete, his hand beginning to shake with anticipation once they arrived at the door.

Rick looked over his shoulder at Daryl and the crossbow-wielder nodded humbly, pressing his bow tighter against his body to take aim. Rick grabbed the handle of the door and counted silently in his head, twirling the handle and shoving his shoulder against it. Rick raised his machete in the air and Daryl jumped through the door frame, pointing his crossbow about in different directions. His finger itched to press the trigger once his blue eyes acclimated to the darkness of the room. Upon seeing and hearing no undead intruders, Daryl and Rick cautiously lowered their weapons.

"Where is everything?" Rick's boots thumped softly against the hardwood floors as he walked further into the room and examined its contents. Daryl moved around a table and crouched down behind a glass display case.

"Ain't nothin' left here but a bunch of empty shell boxes…" Daryl tossed an empty ammo box onto the floor and huffed with discontent. They came all this way just to find nothing but false hope.

"Dammit!" Rick shoved his foot against a glass case and it fell off its pedestal heavily against the ground. The glass erupted all over the flooring in a loud crash and Rick gritted his teeth angrily. Daryl sighed and looked to the ground, chewing on the inside of his cheek anxiously. He knew the position Rick had been put in was tough and this was the third town in a month they had come up empty handed. Daryl couldn't even remember the last time he ate; sacrificing his own rations for the weaker members of the group.

Rick and Daryl's attention jumped to the back of the store when they heard a rustle come from the shadows. Daryl propped his crossbow against his shoulder and the two prudently stepped towards the back of the shop, their ears being raided by the howling wind that continued to beat against the building. Daryl narrowed his eyes and looked to the ground, seeing an evident sign of brief movement. Rick tilted his head and knelt down on one knee,

"What's this?" His voice asked the question quietly while rubbing his fingers across the floor. Daryl crouched down next to him and pulled a flashlight from his jacket pocket, clicking it on and staring at the textured print.

"Footprints… leadin' out the back door right there." The ball of light followed the print trail to the back door, and as if on cue, the door slowly blew open from a touch of the violent wind. Daryl and Rick got to their feet, Daryl turning off his small flashlight and placing it back in his pocket. They both walked to the back door and saw the footprints fading into the pastiness of white snow.

"Should we follow them?" Rick asked while looking over at Daryl briefly. Daryl deliberated quickly in his instinctual mind and shook his head,

"Nah… whoever it was, we scared 'em off. Let's just keep lookin' round for food and other supplies. We're gonna have to find shelter quick. Storm's comin' in fast…" Daryl looked up at the sky through the back door and already noticed that large snowflakes were beginning to fall. Rick swallowed a dry lump in his throat and turned around towards the front door of the gun shop.

Snow sharply bit at Daryl's warm skin, the air becoming colder and colder with each minute passing. The dark blizzard clouds above them were moving in fast with the hectic winds whirling through the town. As more clouds moved in, they enthusiastically consumed the light of day and persuaded the night to come faster than expected. Daryl kept a watchful eye in the streets as his group moved from building to building, trying to find food for their desperately hungry stomachs. Even if they couldn't find food here, Daryl would do everything in his power to hunt and kill some type of meal for their dry mouths. His people counted on their broken white knight.

'_Gotta hurry and find shelter...'_ Daryl found himself staring back up at the snowy sky once a vicious wind tore at his hair and clothing. He narrowed his eyes once seeing the snow beginning to fall heavier and heavier. There was no more time to waste; with or without the group, he had to scout ahead to find shelter for the night.

As he walked carefully through the street, he looked back and forth for any type of Walker movement that might threaten security. There were houses just on the edge of town and if wouldn't take any time for him to find a secure one and clear it out quickly. Daryl worked better by himself anyways. He was more effective when he didn't have anyone to worry about or protect in this type of situation. Daryl narrowed his eyes and stopped, seeing a large, fresh black line stretching from sidewalk to sidewalk. He knelt down and rubbed his fingers in the sticky liquid, bringing it to his nostrils and wafting in its familiar smell.

"Motor oil…?" He stared back down at the black line confusingly and stood back to his feet. Daryl rubbed his fingers on his pant leg and stepped over the line, careful not to step in it and leave tracks. He pulled the crossbow against his shoulder and carefully walked through the small graveyard of cars, his eyes darting back and forth from window to window.

Another violent wind tore through the town and this time, it brought a snowy vengeance. The snow rained down heavily from the blackened sky, causing Daryl to stop and question his ventures. Even though he worked well alone, he knew that it wasn't the smartest idea to stray too far from the group. He had to learn that the hard way back at Hershel's farmhouse. Daryl threw his arm up in front of his face to shield his cold cheeks from another gust of wind, grunting to himself as he felt his fingers beginning to go numb.

"Rick!" A frantic cry shouted from the middle of town and Daryl turned around, seeing Lori, Carol, Carl, and Beth all running from an alleyway.

"_Shit!_" Daryl hissed to himself upon seeing a large horde of Walkers scrambling after the four. Darkness began to overcome Daryl's eyes as he ran forward, dodging cars back and forth. He could hear gunshots sounding from Rick's pistol and soon the others joined in. Daryl cursed to himself mentally, regretting straying off too far from them.

'_Our scent must've wafted through the area with all this goddamn wind!_' Daryl jumped over the hood of a car and as his feet found solid ground he came to a dead stop. He gritted his teeth and managed to hear snarling overcome the howling wind as Walkers found him in their sights. Even if the air was dark, their noses could pick him out of the storm.

"Daryl!" Rick's eyes frantically searched through the large herd of Walkers that began to lay waste to the town and trudged towards his group. Rick, Glenn, Hershel, T-Dog, and Maggie all stood at the front lines, protecting their weaker members behind them. Rick yanked the trigger on his Python and laid a Walker to rest as it plunged to the ground.

"We need to get to the cars and get out of here!" Lori shouted and Rick looked back over his shoulder,

"We're not leavin' Daryl behind!" Rick shoved his foot against a Walkers chest and it slammed to the ground, "Get back, get back!" Rick waved his hand at everyone and they back up quickly, gaining distance between them and the herd. Rick turned at the sound of a loud shriek and saw more Walkers closing in behind them.

"We're surrounded!" Glenn shouted and Rick's head began to twist and turn with some type of strategy to get his group out of this mess. He gritted his teeth,

"Everyone! Get together!" The group quickly assembled tightly together and each brandished a weapon menacingly in their fingers.

'_It can't end like this! Not here!'_ Rick shouted in his mind and found his back pressed up against another member of his group. Slowly, like ravenous wolves, the Walkers began to close in on them quickly and without mercy. Rick's eyes tried to adapt to the darkness that veiled over them. Without out any light of day, taking on the countless amounts of Walkers would be all but useless. Every bit of snow that struck Rick's feathered cheeks felt like a heavy punch. His eyes strained to keep open as the wind pounded against his body and all the Walkers silhouettes meshed together in a mass of black.

"_Rick!? What do we do!?"_

"_Where will we go!?_

"_We can't take them all!"_

The frantic voices of his dying group members flooded Rick's ears; slowly, all his hope began to drain to one little drop.

Rick's ears heard glass shatter and his eyes widened when a giant ball of fire exploded in the middle of the street. A mass of gunshots reigned across the first line of the Walker herd and they all collapsed to the snowy ground. Rick's eyes flickered in the firelight and he looked about, trying to find the culprit of his groups rescue. He took notice that the Walkers closing in behind them had been gun downed in a blur. The fire escaped from its origin in the street and spread across an oil trail, stretching from sidewalk to sidewalk, making a cut-off point where the Walkers couldn't get to them.

"Get to your vehicles if you don't want to die!" A loud voice shouted and Rick pointed his gun up to a rooftop, the group's eyes all flashing to the figure. A black silhouette stood on the snowy rooftop of the gun shop,

"We're not leaving without our friend!" Rick shouted back hostilely as he couldn't decipher the gender of the figure through the howling of the wind. The clothing of the figure flapped in the heavy turmoil and the snowfall made it almost impossible to see,

"I'll deal with him! Get to your vehicles before they come for you! The fire won't last long!"

Rick gritted his teeth and looked back to the wall of flames, seeing the Walkers lighting themselves on fire as they stepped through the inferno. He tried to find a glimpse of Daryl but couldn't see any sign of his right hand man.

"Rick, we have to go!" Glenn shouted as he already directed everyone to get back to the vehicles. Hershel and T-Dog took down many stray Walkers on their journey back to the three-way intersection, protecting the women as they climbed into the comfort of the cars. Rick's blue eyes glanced back up at the rooftop, seeing that the individual was gone with the wind. He didn't want to trust whoever it was, but at that point, he had absolutely no choice.

Daryl stood in a large ring of fire surround by approaching Walkers, looking back and forth from wall to wall. They walked through the flames, igniting and ignoring their skin and clothing being singed to ashes. Now he knew what the oil on the streets was for.

He pressed the butt of his crossbow tightly against his shoulder and raised it at the Walkers beginning to crowd into the framed fire. They were too close for comfort. Daryl lowered his crossbow and pulled out his knife, catching a flash out of the corner of his eye. His blue eyes moved to see the bottom of a car catching fire and he stepped back, knowing what the outcome may be. A tight hand gripped his shoulder and he whirled around, shoving back a Walker and slamming his knife into its skull. Another lunged at him from the side and his fingers grabbed a handful of its clothing just in time. The Walkers rancid breath washed over his face and he turned his cheek to avoid the stench. Reaching his free arm up, he rammed his long bladed knife up through its mouth and sent its soul to another world. He tossed the body to the side and jumped back to avoid a flaming corpse as it fell to the snowy ground. A chill rolled up his spine as he heard a high pitched ring echo through the town and his ears shattered on impact.

His body slammed up against a car and it knocked the breath right out of his lungs, his mouth gaping open as he gasped for air. He growled in his throat and opened his eyes, seeing the flames dancing about in a blur and burning corpses trudging towards him. He tried to move his legs but they wouldn't budge under his order. The shock of the car explosion rendered him senseless and all he could do was watched as a large group of Walkers made it through the flames to eat him where he lied. His fingers grew numb from the cold snow and they twitched to try to drag him away from his awaiting demise.

A bright flash of red flew through the air and Daryl's eyes immediately caught where it landed. It was a road flare attached to some unknown device and landed right in to middle of the vastly approaching horde. A figure jumped through the flames and stood defensively in front of Daryl, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make out the face of individual. A long black hood masked their face and the flaps of a cloak whipped violently from the wind. The figure turned quickly and crouched down over Daryl, tossing the flaps of the black cloak over him. He could feel hot breath breathing closely against his face, wondering what the hell was going to happen next. His ringing ears picked up yet another explosion and a soft grunt come from the person hovering over him. The comfort of the cloaks heat disappeared and Daryl's eyes flickered back into the flames as he saw Walkers body parts strung all over the place. Blood stained the snow and cars among them and Daryl noticed an odd weapon gripped tightly in both hands of the cloaked figure in front of him.

A large reaping scythe swung gracefully through the air, slicing Walkers heads cleanly off their bodies.

Daryl didn't know what he was seeing. Was it the grim reaper finally coming to claim to souls of the living dead? After another swing of the long blade, the figure turned around and grabbed his arm,

"Get to your feet! More are coming!"

Daryl gritted his teeth and the hooded figure pulled him to his feet with barely any effort on his end. His vision blurred in light vertigo and the hooded figure steadied him.

"Get your ass together and stop being a pussy!" The person shouted into his ringing ears. Daryl shook his head and saw the figure swing down and hooked the strap of his crossbow onto their shoulder. Daryl took his first solid footsteps and finally gathered his senses back into their bundle.

"Follow me! Hurry!" They jumped on top of a car and Daryl narrowed his eyes, feeling split in between running in the other direction or trusting this strange person. They stomped their foot on the car top to gather Daryl's attention, "Let's go or all your friends are going to _die_!"

Daryl huffed and jumped on top of the car, following them as they jumped over the diminishing wall of fire. Daryl landed on his feet and felt a surge of pain bolt through his chest, gasping and falling to his knees. He gripped his ribs tightly, squeezing his eyes shut and holding his breath,

"What are you doing!? _Come on_!" He felt a hand grab is arm again and pull him along. Daryl stumbled back to his feet and followed the figure into the shadows of a small alleyway, eyeing his precious crossbow on their back. If only he could just grab it and make his way back to the group. He also eyed the automatic rifle tightly secured under his crossbow, wondering if that was the culprit of the downpour of bullets he heard earlier. Daryl stopped at the edge of the alleyway and felt another surge of pain wreak havoc through his ribs. With a sharp grunt, he looked over once hearing an engine roar to life and bright lights illuminated the air like the sun.

"Get on the back. I'll take you to your friends." The figure sat down on the seat of a large four-wheeler with a small trailer hooked on the back. Daryl hesitated at first, but ultimately his feet moved faster than his brain and he found himself sitting on the pack panel of the four-wheeler. Through his ringing ears he heard the engine rev and his body lurched forward, almost toppling off the back of the wheeler. Getting a tight grip on the railing of the wheeler, he straightened himself the best he could, feeling a throbbing sensation slowly crawling through his side.

Daryl wanted to yank the black hood off the figure so badly his hand even lifted and touched the tip of it, but then his hand moved to his crossbow. He chomped at the inside of his cheek anxiously and felt the wheeler weave off to the side, dodging a few Walkers that lurched out towards him. Daryl's face began to grow numb from the cold air and he could barely feel his hair tickling his forehead. The long black flaps of the hooded figure's cloak wrapped around Daryl's body, shielding him from the cold wind caused by the storm. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the vehicles of his comrades waiting patiently for his arrival. The snow fell like ashes of a volcano against the headlights of the trucks and the four-wheeler came slowly to a stop. Daryl slid off the back of the four-wheeler and grunted from his boots impact,

"Tell your friends to follow me to safety. The fire's scent will draw more of them in and you'll only run into a dead end." The figure revved the engine of the four-wheeler and moved down the street, stopping and waiting for them. Daryl moved quickly into the red Chevy, opening the back door and seeing Carl and Beth moving out of his way. He strained while getting into the truck, growling to himself and shutting the door.

"You alright?" Rick asked while looking around the driver's seat and Daryl nodded, taking a deep breath for the first time in a while.

"He wants us to follow him. Says he's got a safe place for us."

"I don't know… he might be leadin' us into a trap." Rick said skeptically and Daryl narrowed his eyes, shaking his head,

"Don't matter. Asshole's got my crossbow and he ain't gonna get away with it."

**.:=:.**

Rick gauged the ride of their journey at about twenty minutes to half an hour. He followed to four-wheeler aimlessly through the storm, almost getting lost in the heavy snowfall. It was almost mesmerizing watching each and every flake pass by the headlights, sometimes the four-wheeler disappearing into the haze. He noticed that trees were getting heavier with each passing second and they were most likely on a back road in the forest. The air in the truck's cab was quiet and Rick could hear strained breathing coming from Daryl behind him. Something had happened but Daryl kept to himself.

"Are we really doing this?" Lori asked while looking over at Rick, who kept his eyes on the road. There was a brief pause from Rick and he nodded,

"Gonna have to. Walkers from all over the place are headed to that area and we'll get stuck on the roads. Plus, we gotta get outta this storm… it's gettin' too hostile out there." Rick squinted his eyes and tried to follow the trail of the four-wheelers tracks, seeing that the wheeler had disappeared once again.

"What if there are more people where we're going? They could kill us." Lori explained the obvious and Rick sighed,

"I won't let that happen… don't worry." Rick's eyes moved from the windshield briefly to the rearview mirror, making sure his fellow survivors were keeping up with him.

"What's that?" Beth asked from behind and Rick's eyes immediately returned to the windshield. His eyes softened and his foot pulled off the accelerator as he saw a large brick wall through the veil of snow.

"The gates open. Should we go in?"

"The tire tracks lead in there…" Rick replied to his wife plainly and continued in through the opening of the wall, seeing a tall fence being held up by a rope. Once the headlights of the truck hit the house, Rick leaned forward in his seat and stared in awe. He could hear the shifts of Lori, Carl, Beth, and Daryl in their seats to stare at the dark house as well. Rick came to a stop a few feet from a large garage door extending from the house, seeing the figure holding the broken garage door open and waiting for them.

"Get into the garage quickly. The storm's bringing all the cold air. I'll get the others." Rick shoved open the driver's side door and stepped out, moving through the downpour of snow.

After retrieving the rest of his group members, Rick lead them towards the open garage as the hooded rescuer waited patiently for them. After they all took cover into the large, dark garage, the figure pulled the door shut and latched it against a ring on the floor. Rick yanked over his pistol and cocked it, pointing it at the figures back and using whatever light from a small lantern in the corner to see in front of him.

"Get up on your feet slowly. Don't make any sudden movements or I won't hesitate!" He ordered and watched the figures gloved hands rise to air and slowly stand to their feet. Rick stepped forward cautiously, "Pull that crossbow off your back, that rifle, and set down that scythe. We don't need any problems here."

The figure slowly pulled Daryl's crossbow and rifle off their back, setting it down on the ground along with the scythe. Again, they rose back to their feet, hands still raised in the air. Rick narrowed his eyes,

"Now turn around and take off that hood... I want to see your face." The person turned around to face them, the black hood still shadowing their face. They made no incentive to remove the hood from their head, making Rick growl and step forward; pointing his pistol to wherever he thought was a forehead. His hand grabbed the top of the hood and he ripped it off, his lips parting in a bit of surprise at the sight.

"You gonna kill the person that saved all your sorry asses?" The "_He_" they all assumed this person was, was actually a "_She_". A black face mask covered from her cheeks to the bottom of her neck. A pair of hazel eyes stared straight through Rick with no malicious intent as she awaited his answer. A hard lump rolled down Rick's throat,

"How many of you live here?" He asked grimly and the woman looked past him to the other members of the group, seeing their desperate and fatigued faces. Her eyes flicked back to him,

"Just me."

"Bullshit." Rick said doubtfully and her head flicked towards the door to the house,

"You're welcome to go look for yourself. All you're gonna find is an empty house." The two squared off in a momentary staring contest and Rick saw the honesty in her burning eyes. Hesitantly, Rick let the hammer of his gun back into position and lowered his gun. His jaw tightened and watched the woman move past him towards the door to the house,

"Everyone follow me..." She unlocked the door with a key and pushed it open, walking into the dark shadows of the house. Each member looked to each other desperately and then to Rick for an answer. Silently, he nodded for them to follow and was the first to step into the house, making sure it was safe before putting their lives on the line.

Daryl grabbed his crossbow from the ground and wrapped the strap around his shoulder. As he stepped into the dark house, it was oddly warm for being abandoned and it made him shiver with silent delight. Dim lights flickered on by the command of the cloaked woman, making everyone stare in confusion. There was no electricity anywhere; what made this place so different?

The woman stopped and pulled the mask off her face, her cheeks red with warmth from the comfortable shield of cloth. Daryl watched as a tumble of long blonde hair draped over her shoulders once she pulled the hairband from her bun. She pulled off the long black cloak and rested it on a chair, turning back to the crowd. Each of the members walked about the kitchen, and some into the living room, staring in awe at the house. Rick shoved his pistol back in the holster hanging from his belt,

"I take it you all have seen better days." Rick looked back to the woman, seeing her curious eyes staring at him. Rick looked to Daryl as the young Dixon stared back at him,

"It's been a long time since we've found somewhere worth staying." Rick saw a slight shimmer in her eyes and narrowed his own, "You are letting us stay, right?"

"You're welcome to. I won't throw you out in this storm. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night." She said reasonably. Daryl looked up at the lights,

"How are you doing this? There shouldn't be any electricity." His blue eyes looked into her hazel orbs,

"Whoever lived here before had two diesel generators hooked up to the main lines of the house. I turned them on while I waited for you and your group to arrive."

"How long have you been here?" Glenn asked and the woman looked around to see everyone staring at her. She looked to Glenn,

"A while now..." Her eyes shifted back and forth from one group member to another, seeing their dirty complexions and tattered clothes. She stopped at Carl, seeing his blue eyes staring out from under the shadow of his sheriff's hat. Turning her head, she looked back to Rick,

"I have food, water, and clothing. You're all welcome to help yourselves. If you all take showers, take it easy. Some of the rooms have their own bathrooms and it shouldn't hurt for the showers to run all at the same time. But once the hot water is used up, it'll take about a half an hour for it to heat up again." She cocked half a smile when she saw everyone's eyes widen at the sound of the word "_Shower_". It was like it was too good to be true. "You can take a pick of any bedroom but the last one on the right upstairs. It's mine. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go change my clothing." She swiveled around on her boot and walked towards the stairs,

"Wait..." She stopped on Rick's request and turned around to face him and his group. Rick's eyes hardened, "Can we at least know your name? You did go out of your way to save us... after all."

The woman's eyes contemplated and glazed over the group once again. Her eyes shifted to Daryl, the man she went out of her way the most to save.

"Reagan Blackwood."

**.:=:.**

Reagan retreated to her room and left the survivors to themselves. She could see that they were exhausted, starving, sleep deprived, and scared. Especially their leader; she could tell that he was on edge every moment up until she left the room. But Reagan understood. She didn't bother to catch any of the group member's names and in all honesty she didn't care to. All she wanted was to coop herself up in her room and let them rest themselves. She didn't want any part of it.

Reagan yanked off her double-layered jacked and tossed it on her bed, turning on the lamp that sat lonely on the bed-stand. She gritted her teeth and lifted up her shirt, her cold hands stroking over her white skin to her back. Twitching, she felt the sticky feel of blood drying slowly on her flesh and quickly moved to the large mirror of the vanity in front of her bed. She stared into the mirror and saw a piece of metal shrapnel burrowed into her skin.

"_Fuck_..." She hissed and mumbled more curses under her breath, spinning around to face a large medical kit sitting on the vanity. Reagan pulled her shirt off and tossed it on the bed, sitting down in a chair and feeling the cold air of the room biting at her exposed skin. Flipping open the medical kit, her fingers found a long pair of tongs, alcohol pads, gauze, and a roll of medical tape. She spun around in her chair so she would be able to see the wound in the mirror and direct her hands properly to clean up the lesion. Brandishing the tongs in her hand, she stretched out his thin skin and took a deep breath, gritting her teeth.

The cold tongs bit into her skin like a burning knife and she whimpered, snarling to herself as the tongs worked their way against the piece of metal. Blood began to seep from the wound and she clamped the tongs together, bracing herself. She yanked her hand back and gasped at the singing pain in her back, dropping the tongs and the shrapnel on the vanity. Her lips breathed out strained pants and Reagan scrubbed the alcohol pad into the wound, squeezing her eyes shut and holding her breath. She tossed the pad on the vanity and pressed gauze against the laceration, grabbing the roll of tape and biting off pieces with her teeth.

Reagan stood to her feet and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and doing her best to ignore the pain slamming against the back of her ribs. She took to her dresser and pulled out a fresh shirt, throwing it on and taking a sigh of relief. Her ears picked up the sound of the group members trudging up the stairs to find their pick of the bedrooms. Muddled laughter and conversation made it to her ears through the thick wooden door.

Daryl, downstairs, walked through the house skeptically, checking it out to make sure the woman spoke the truth about being alone. It wasn't so much as a paranoia thing, just these days he couldn't take any more chances and it was standard procedure. His boots thumped quietly against the hard wood floors as he made way back into the living room, seeing Rick in the middle of the room, staring at the boarded windows. Daryl stopped and leaned on the wall,

"Hard to believe, huh?" Daryl asked and Rick's blue eyed gaze slowly fell on him. Rick gave a small nod,

"Feels like a dream..." His body was tight and he didn't know what to do with himself. Daryl heard a pair of feet tapping their way down the stairs and both he and Rick looked over to the stairwell. Reagan appeared and slowed her pace once she saw the two staring at her,

"Thought ya'll would be getting cleaned up by now." She turned her head and moved towards the door leading to the garage. Rick turned to face her,

"We're lettin' the others get settled in first."

"Still don't trust me, huh?" She couldn't help but smile to herself as she unlocked the garage door and disappeared inside. Rick and Daryl exchanged quick glances and waited for her to come back inside. The door slammed back open by her foot and cracked against the wall, Reagan stepping in with the scythe and rifle in her hands. She rested the scythe by the door and hung the rifle on a coat rack on the wall, walking past Rick into the living room.

"How secure is this place?" Rick asked and turned around to see Reagan throwing wood into the large fireplace. She glanced over her shoulder briefly and then returned to her work,

"Secure enough." She said plainly and stacked the wood like a teepee. Wadding up a bunch of newspaper, she stuffed the balls of paper in the middle of the wood to help fuel the fire. Rick narrowed his eyes,

"That didn't answer my question." Reagan sighed and turned around to face him, standing fully to her feet. She looked around and pointed to the windows,

"I boarded up every window of this house on the lower level, inside and out. All the doors are reinforced with double locks and the front gate is always shut. In all the time I've been here not one corpse has set foot inside the wall. That secure enough for you?" She asked sarcastically and stared at Rick.

"Don't need to be a smartass bout it." Reagan looked over at Daryl upon hearing his raspy voice and narrowed her eyes,

"I understand where you're all coming from; I've been in your position many times. But there are no faults here... I've made sure of that." Reagan tried to reassure the two men. Grabbing lighter fluid from the top of the fireplace, she squeezed the flammable liquid all over the wood and with the snap of a match, she tossed the flame inside. It exploded into a small ball of fire, making Rick step back from the heat. Reagan turned around, "I'll make you all some food..."

"You don't have to do that." Rick said as Reagan pushed past him into the kitchen. She ignored him and opened the door to a large pantry, turning on the light. Rick stared at the mass amounts of food piled into the pantry,

"You sure about that?" She asked while glancing over her shoulder. Rick had nothing left to say to her as she pulled out boxes and cans of various foods.

"Rick..." The three looked over to see Lori standing in the hallway. Both she and Reagan exchanged a quick glance and Lori's eyes moved back to her husband, "Come on... you should get cleaned up."

"I think I'll wait." Rick argued softly and Daryl bounced his shoulder off the wall,

"You should go. You've been runnin' on fumes for the past couple days."

"Please Rick..." Lori waited for him and Rick hesitated. He looked to Daryl, who nodded reassuringly to him that he would watch the woman. Rick let out a sigh and glanced at Reagan as he walked by, Lori turning around after him and disappearing into the hallway. Daryl's blue eyes locked onto Reagan and watched as she rummaged around in cupboards for kitchenware. Her blonde hair wrapped around one shoulder like a long snake.

"I take it you're the group's watchdog?" She knew he was staring at her and Reagan didn't bother to look at him. Daryl huffed to himself and narrowed his eyes, walking towards her as she snapped open the top of a can.

"Better watch that smart mouth of yours." Daryl bit, causing Reagan to smile and look up from her task,

"Oh... the dog has a bite." She mused and returned her gaze back down to dumping the cans of vegetables in a large bowl, "Shouldn't be talkin' like that to the girl who saved your life. Without me you'd sure be an easy meal for those corpses."

Daryl chewed on the inside of his lip anxiously. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but she was right. The situation he was put in definitely would have cost him his life and the feeling of helplessness was something he didn't want to remember.

"So how's your side? Took the hit to the car pretty brutally. I'm surprised you can stand." Reagan looked up at him and Daryl lowered his head. As if on cue, his ribs throbbed violently,

"I'm fine. Ain't nothin' I can't handle."

"Hm... tough guy act I see." She rose an eyebrow and looked down, opening a box of rice and pouring it in a pot filled with water. Turning around, she turned on the oven and placed the pot on the stovetop. Daryl watched her flawless movements and sharp body, wondering how a girl like her could handle both herself and him at the same time in town. She was something else; nothing he'd ever seen before. Many questions flooded his mind about this girl but he had to restrain himself. She seemed like a firecracker and he wasn't in the mood or the mindset to bicker with her.

**.:=:.**

Reagan had prepared the dinner for everyone and they sat down at two large dining room tables to consume their king's feast. Reagan left the group to themselves and retreated up the stairs, with a small amount of food, to her room. Without her in the room, the group could eat carelessly like the family that they were. They piled rice, vegetables, and bread high on their plates and ate until their bellies were full.

For the first time in months they laughed and smiled without a care in the world.

The flame in the fireplace flickered happily in the eyes of the survivors and crackled along with their laughter. The group had extinguished the fires loneliness and in gratitude, the inferno warmed the entire house to keep them all cozy throughout the night. The wind slammed up against the boarded windows and the whirling snow desperately clasped against the house to try and get in. Slowly, one by one, the members of the group, who couldn't stuff anymore food in their stomachs, retired to their rooms of comfort.

Daryl was the last left in the dining room. Carol had saved him a room upstairs and he was ready to retire for the night. He couldn't remember what a warm shower felt like and he couldn't imagine how good it was going to feel. His rough hands tossed a few more large pieces of wood into the fire before going upstairs to ensure the house would stay warm most of the night. But just as Daryl was leaving to the stairwell, Reagan's black cloak caught his eye. He let out a deep breath and grabbed the heavy fabric, studying it admiringly. He felt a shift in the fabric and narrowed his brows, sticking his fingers through a large hole in the back. As Daryl retracted his hand, he noticed a deep red color staining his fingers.

He narrowed his eyes at the blood and looked back to the large lesion in the black fabric. The blood was still fresh and Daryl thought to himself briefly. Something happened to where she had been injured at some point in that day, whether it was before or after they had shown up in the town. Daryl tossed the cloak back in its original place and took to the stairs, taking one step after another until he reached the top. He placed his hand on the knob of his temporary bedroom door and stopped, looking at the door at the end of the hallway and seeing a low light crawling out from under the bottom of the door. His eyes lowered and his hand turned the doorknob softly, opening the door and stepping in.

The room was large by what he could see with the turn of a lamp switch. The small light illuminated whatever it could in the room and Daryl's eyes immediately fell on the bed. His face softened and he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and setting his crossbow down next to the bed. Daryl slid his backpack off his shoulders and tossed it on the bed, rubbing his warm hands on his face. The scruff on his face scratched his fingers as they passed by and eventually his fingers ran through his greasy hair. He kicked off his boots next to his crossbow and turned around to see another door. A bathroom was connected to his bedroom to his contentment; he stripped off his jacket, tossing it on his bed and retreating into the washroom.


	2. Chapter 2

Rick's eyes flashed open and all he could see was the white wall.

He clenched his eyes shut and reopened them, this time, staring at the closed curtains that masked the window. He had to make sure he was in the right place and everything wasn't a dream from last night. Feeling the soft sheets over his body, he turned his head but his eyes only met the empty half of the bed he lied in. Knitting his eyebrows, he leaned up and stared around the plain room, not seeing Lori or Carl anywhere. Rick pulled on a pair of pants and opened the door to his bedroom, looking up and down the hallway, but seeing no one. The soft carpet supported Rick's feet as he moved down the hallway to the top of the stairs, looking down and hearing soft voices. Descending the carpeted steps, his feet met with the cool wooden floor of the kitchen and he saw Maggie, Carol, and Lori talking to each other while preparing plates. Narrowing his eyes, he stepped in even further and Lori finally took notice to his appearance, "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"What's goin' on?" Rick asked and looked over the counter, seeing Carl and Hershel sitting at the table.

"We're making breakfast. Why don't you sit down and I'll fix you up a plate?" Lori nodded towards the table and Rick's blue eyes stared at her, ignoring her question,

"Have you seen Reagan?" Rick asked and Lori shook her head,

"Not yet... Glenn was the first to wake up and when he said he came to the kitchen there was a big bowl full of fruits and vegetables on the dining table." Lori looked past Rick to the stairs, "I knocked on her door but there was no answer."

"I'll go see if she's in there." Rick said and turned around on his heel back towards the stairs. Lori attempted to stop him,

"She might still be sleeping. You shouldn't wake her."

Rick strode up the stairs and moved down the long hallway of the second floor, stopping at the end and turning to the right. He stared at the door for a moment and lifted his fist, knocking on it, "Reagan?" He asked softly, but heard no answer from the inside. After another couple knocks, there still was no answer and Rick rested his hand on the doorknob. But as he tried to turn it, it didn't budge and he pulled his hand off, knowing she had locked it after leaving to wherever she went.

"Rick?" A sleepy, raspy voice called his name questioningly and Rick turned his head to see Daryl leaning out of his bedroom, "What's goin' on?"

"Nothin'..." Rick was quick to reply and shook his head, "Need to talk to Reagan... but she doesn't seem to be here."

"Where'd she go?"

"I don't know..." Rick said unsure to himself and he trudged past Daryl back down the stairs. As he stopped, he heard the fresh smell of eggs being cooked, staring into the kitchen to see Carol cooking the fluffy concoctions. Maggie cut up some potatoes on the counter and Lori cut up whatever fruit there was in a bowl. Looking over, Rick saw Hershel, Beth, Glenn, and Carl playing a game of cards at the dining room table.

"Alright everyone... the food is ready!" Carol called and those who occupied the dining room, including a fully dressed Daryl who finally descended down the stairs, all took a seat. Rick hesitated, torn between letting them all eat while he keeps watch and joining them in their family-like setting.

"T-Dog really must be taking all his time sleeping." Glenn voiced as Maggie brought him a plate. Lori shook her head,

"Who can blame him? He's always the one that volunteers to keep the night watches wherever we stay." Lori sat down with a plop on a wooden chair next to Carol, rubbing her belly, "We should let him sleep and I'll make him a big plate in a bit."

"It's like this is all too good to be true..." Glenn mumbled to himself while staring down at his food, Carl already digging into his plate. Glenn's mouth watered and he followed Carl's lead, scarfing down his food but trying his best to pace himself to enjoy the savory flavor of good food. Finally, Rick moved over towards the table, sitting down at the lonely plate of food that was waiting for him. He stared down at it, not knowing exactly what to dig into first. After a few long moments, he plucked a few powdered eggs up in his fork, sighing in bliss at the warm food.

The group all took their time eating, taking in their food and living up the moment the best they could. It was the first time in months they sat down together and felt like they barely had a care in the world. But of course, the world outside the safe haven didn't escape the darkest corners of their minds. Rick and Daryl were still skeptical; they thought the farm was safe and secure and there was no way a single house with a brick wall perimeter could keep out what they feared every waking moment.

"Can I have some seconds?" Carl asked while looking at Lori. Lori looked to the food on the counter, wanting to save some for T-Dog, and Reagan, wherever she was. But Lori nodded, not wanting to keep her son from having an empty stomach, "Yes... just don't eat it all!" She laughed and Carl jumped up from his seat to retrieve more food.

A shiver rolled up Rick's spine upon hearing a crash coming from the garage, his legs immediately hoisting his body to his feet. Everyone turned to look at the garage door, their jaws halting with mouthfuls of food. Rick looked to Daryl, who was quick on his own feet and already had his knife gripped tightly in is hand. Rick slid his Python from its holster and pointed it at the door, him and Daryl slowly stepping forward as they heard a loud slam, not knowing if it were the garage door or not. Footsteps jumped up from behind the door and the handle turned, the door swinging open and Rick's pistol freezing. Reagan stared down the barrel of his gun, unfazed by his stand off, "You sure like to point that thing at me, don't you?"

Rick let out his held breath and Daryl narrowed his eyes, "What the hell happened to you?" He took notice to her bloody hands and she pushed past Rick, turning on the kitchen sink and scrubbing her hands clean,

"Ran into a little trouble... no big deal."

"No big deal?" Rick slid his pistol back into its holster and turned back to face her doubtful, "That's a lot of blood; what happened?"

"Let's just say I like to get up close and personal with the Biters." She grabbed a hand towel and dapped the water off her skin while whirling herself around to face Rick's condemning stare. Reagan looked past him towards everyone else with a charming smile, "I see you all took it upon yourselves to make this place your home."

"I hope you don't mind..." Lori stood up to take the brunt of Reagan's words, "I thought the girls and I could make everyone breakfast. We left plenty for you, too."

"I don't. Thank you, but I already ate." Reagan put her hand up and shook her head. Daryl looked back to the blonde,

"What were you doin' out there?"

"Plowing a path out of here." Reagan's light brown eyes turned to him, "The four-wheeler was almost out of gas so I had to find a car to siphon. Someone has to keep up the maintenance around here."

"What's the snow like out there?" T-Dog's voice echoed through the room, making everyone turn around to see him taking a seat. Reagan smiled,

"I guess it's Q and A time now that everyone's gathere, huh?" Reagan moved around towards the table and pulled a chair out, sitting down and leaning back, "I'm in a better mood today so ask all the questions you can while you have the chance." Her eyes moved around the group as they all stared at her and Reagan's gaze, once again, fell on Maggie, "There's about half a foot of snow... nothing too big."

"How long have you been here?" Hershel asked with a stack of cards in his hands. Reagan held her tongue for a few moments, estimating the time she had been dwelling in the double-decker house,

"Going on about... 5 months."

"Five months?" Glenn voiced in surprise, "All by yourself?" Reagan nodded to him and Lori shook her head,

"There hasn't been anyone else? Just you?"

"I found this house by myself... I used to be in a group like yours before this." Reagan said and Maggie's eyes continued to stay glued to the blonde female,

"Why aren't you with them now?" Reagan's eyes dropped to the table and her fingers began tapping on the arm of the chair,

"They're all dead." Reagan looked to the stares of the group surrounding her, seeing the questioning look in their eyes. They all wanted to ask the question, but none of them could muscle up the courage, "All seven of us were close, as all you are to each other. We struggled and survived, day by day, week by week, a couple of us almost starved to death. One day we ran into another group of people; wannabe militia men. They gunned everyone down... I tried to fight back, but got this pretty little number." Reagan's hand yanked the zipper of her jacket down her chest and hooked her fingers on the collar of her shirt, pulling it down her shoulder. She smiled in amusement at the group's curious reactions to the small contortions in her skin, "Shotgun blast to the shoulder. I don't know how I survived but I ended up passing out. Woke up to see everyone dead; all my gear gone... as well as the men who attacked us. The only thing they didn't take was my scythe."

"I'm sorry..." Lori apologized and Reagan shook her head,

"Don't be."

"So you've never ran into anyone in the five months you've been here?" T-Dog asked and Reagan stared into his dark eyes,

"I've had many people stay here with me. But eventually, they move on." She couldn't help but smile, "Always have to save their asses one way or another..."

"They never caused problems?" Glenn asked and Reagan continued to tap her fingers on the arm of the chair,

"There was one group... attacked me when I brought them back here. I took it more as a jealousy thing."

"Did you kick them out?" Glenn asked again and Reagan huffed with a smile,

"I guess you could say that..."

She killed each and every one of them.

"I like to think of this house more as a bed and breakfast." Reagan laughed under her breath and Rick rested his hand on the countertop as she looked at him, "That reminds me. I still don't know all your names. If ya'll are goin' to be staying here... I'd like to have some idea of what they are. I can give some pretty cruel nicknames."

"Rick Grimes..." Rick was the first to voice and he motioned towards Lori, then Carl, "That's my wife Lori and my son Carl."

"Daryl Dixon."

"Glenn..."

"Maggie."

"I'm Hershel and this is my daughter, Beth."

"Carol Peletier."

"And I'm T-Dog." He finished and Reagan stood to her feet, looking at them all,

"Officially... It's nice to meet you all."

**.:o:.**

Reagan rummaged around in the dark garage, the large room only occupied by a couple burning lanterns in each corner. The burning pain from the wound in her back annoyed her till no end and she grunted with dissatisfaction. Sitting on a chair, she sharpened the blade of her reaping scythe, pushing down with the grinding stone and scraping it across the sharp edge. Old, dry blood scraped off on grinding stone as it went along, Reagan treating it hospitably like a human being. She heard the door open to the garage and looked over her shoulder, seeing Daryl and Rick walking down the small set of wooden stairs. Her eyes drifted back to her work at hand and heard Rick's southern voice break the verbal silence,

"Are you busy?"

"Does it look like it?" Reagan asked while keeping her gold eyes on the grinding stone.

"Enough of your sarcasm." Rick put his foot down and Reagan sighed, her eye twitching from the annoying pain in her ribs,

"What do you boys want?"

"We want to know more about this place and what the hell we're dealin' with." Daryl's raspy voice echoed and Reagan looked over her shoulder,

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

"Show us." Rick said stepping forward, "If we're goin' to be living here, together, we want to examine all perimeters, know where everything is, and what we can do to reinforce this place."

"It's already reinforced..." Reagan stood to her feet, gripping the wooden handle of her reaping scythe, "The damn border is made of brick, what more do you want?"

"Listen," Daryl stepped forward and glared over at her, "We ain't gonna sit here and argue bout this mindless shit."

"You haven't been out there..." Rick voiced after Daryl, "You've been cooped up here, somewhat safe from the outside for months on end. We had a secure place, a farm, and it got taken down by a herd in an instant! Nowhere is safe and secure."

"I can assure you... I've had my fair share of difficult times..." Reagan leaned in forward challengingly, "I've taken the time I had living here to make sure this place is secure from both people and the Eaters. Don't let your paranoia eat your sanity away."

"Can we cut the pissin' contest?" Daryl scoffed and shook his head, "We ain't here to spit in each other's faces."

"I never took you as the reasoning type of man." Reagan smirked at Daryl and his jaw tightened as he leaned in towards Reagan. Rick tossed his hand out and pushed Daryl back,

"Daryl's right." Rick's blue eyes moved back to Reagan, "We're here to stay and you've got to accept that." Reagan narrowed her eyes at Rick and he continued, "I can see the look in your eyes... that you're just waitin' for us to get our fill and move on. It ain't gonna happen and if you don't accept that... then I will make you."

Rick challenged and Reagan only stared into his surprisingly intimidating eyes. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she nodded at the two men, "We'll see when we come to cross that bridge." Reagan turned and flipped her black cloak over her shoulders, grabbing her scythe and resting the makeshift strap over her shoulder, "Come with me."

Rick and Daryl followed her to the garage door as she tore it open, the rollers sucking it up into the rafters above them. Daryl and Rick's eyes narrowed as their pupils tried to acclimate to the brightness of the snow; grey clouds hovering in the sky above and threatening to rain more snow down upon them. Reagan stepped out onto the plowed concrete of the driveway, taking in a deep breath of the fresh, cold air. Looking over her shoulder, she nodded at them, "I'll show you how to work the generators and where the firewood is."

Rick and Daryl followed her around the side of the house towards the back, staring at the brick perimeter as they passed by. In the backyard of the establishment lied a giant shed and a lean-to clasping onto the back of the house. Rick eyed the two large generators hooked to the house and Reagan slapped her hand down on one, "Here they are..." Reagan quickly demonstrated, "The canisters of diesel are in the shed over there, along with the firewood to the fireplace. The gas goes in here, the buttons to turn them on and off are here, and it's wise not use both of them at the same time or for too long... diesel is hard to come by these days. I'm gone a lot... so you should all know how to use these."

"Gone a lot, huh?" Daryl asked and Reagan nodded,

"I scavenge as much as I can. You can never have too much of one thing and getting it before everyone else definitely has its benefits."

"What about this wall?" Rick turned around and walked towards the wall, staring at the eight foot brick structure. Reagan walked towards him,

"You're welcome to walk with me and inspect it. I know this yard like the back of my hand, along with these walls... I've made sure no one can get in uninvited and they most surely won't get out... alive that is." She made a point as the three began to walk the perimeter of the two story house. Daryl eyed the scythe on her back, remembering the swift carnage it inflicted on all the Walkers the night before. Curiously, he nodded towards it,

"That thing as easy to swing around as you make it seem?"

"This old thing?" Reagan motioned towards the scythe, "It can be... took me a lot of practice to use it the way I do now. It's quite the handy tool."

"Never seen anybody use a weapon like that before, let alone, take down as many Walkers as you did in one fell swoop." Daryl admitted and Reagan smiled while looking over at him,

"Walkers? Is that what you call them?" Daryl nodded at her and Reagan's gaze fell on Rick briefly and saw his observing eyes glued to the wall. She huffed and stared back forward, trudging through the snow, "Surprised you didn't turn tail and run when you saw me. But seeing as the condition you were in, I can't really say you had the choice."

"I tried but you had my crossbow. Thought the damn Grim Reaper was comin' to take all our souls." Reagan couldn't help but laugh at Daryl's words,

"You're not the first person who's said that to me. Some people I save just run away and that's the last time I see them."

"I don't blame 'em."

"All I can do is thank the woman that helped train me." Reagan caught both of the men's curious glances as they made way towards the front gate, "It was about a month after the outbreak occurred... I partnered up with a woman, who brandished a katana, for quite some time. I liked the fact that she could take out so many so quietly... so I found this thing, fixed it up, and we were unstoppable together."

"Did she get killed, too?" Rick asked while looking over at her and Reagan sighed,

"I sure hope not... we ended up getting separated." Reagan stopped and stared through the slots of the front gate, "I wonder about her everyday..."

Rick stopped next to Reagan and stared out through the gate, seeing a few Walkers trying to walk through the snow. He looked over to Reagan, "I thought you said they don't come out here?"

"I said none of them have ever made it past the _gates_. I never said anything about them not being able to find this place. You have to remember, the wind has been strong these past couple days." Reagan explained and she nodded over towards the rope to pull up the gate, "You boys pull up the gate, I'll take care of them outside."

Rick and Daryl looked at the rope tied to the top of the gate, following it over to a pulley on the second half of the house. The rope ended next to the garage door and the two men exchanged quick glances before moving back towards the garage. They took the rope in both of their hands and hoisted the rope up, watching the end of the gate rise from the wall. Reagan yanked the scythe off her back and brandished the handle loosely in her fingers. The handful of Walkers stared at her ravenously and the snarls reached her ears tediously. With one sharp swing, she took down two in one, the heads sliding clean off their bodies and rolling across the ground. With the stained handle in her palms, she marched through the snow and kicked up the powder as she went about. The blade of the scythe swiped across the face of yet another Walker, Reagan watching solemnly as its body fell to the ground with a muted thud. Her golden eyes glared up at the sky as small snowflakes began to fall and a fresh wind kicked up into the air.

Quickly, she pulled the Walkers bodies out of the somewhat plowed road and returned behind the thick, safe gates of her establishment. Rick and Daryl released the rope in their hands and it landed with a loud crash, Reagan and the boys retreating into the garage. Reagan grabbed a towel and wiped the blade of her scythe as swiftly as she swung it, "Looks like another storms comin' in."

"Sure hope this weather doesn't get too bad." Rick stepped up the wooden stairs to the door, Daryl behind him and soon to join, Reagan. The three walked inside to see a few of their group scattered about the house, some disappeared into their rooms and others were playing board games.

"I wouldn't play with those if I were you." Reagan warned as she saw Glenn messing with her collection of explosives. Glenn quickly put one of them down,

"What are these things?" He asked curiously and stepped away from the bookshelf. Reagan smiled,

"I duct taped flares to aerosol cans, preferably deodorant or air fresheners, and use them as mini grenades."

"Is that what you used last night?" Daryl asked while eyeballing them, "When those Walkers were comin' at me?"

"Yeah. The flare provides a good enough distraction to draw them in and by the time they all crowd around it the thing will explode." Reagan rested her scythe against the wall next to the garage door, "Not only does it explode but it sends shrapnel out and kills whatever the blast didn't." Daryl quickly remembered how she crouched over him after sending out the flare bomb and the laceration in her cloak he found the night before.

"How did you light the ground on fire last night?" T-Dog asked from the kitchen table, "Been wonderin' that ever since we showed up here."

"Molotov's..."

"As in like... shoving cloth in a half filled liquor bottle and lighting it on fire?" Glenn asked and Reagan nodded her head amusingly,

"The towns closest to this house; I set up traps I guess you could say." Reagan leaned on the kitchen counter, "I used motor oil to set up boundaries. Me being by myself... if I ever ran into trouble I could always rely on them to give me distance to escape."

"That's smart." Rick admitted and Reagan nodded at him,

"I've had plenty of time to think up these things... as you know."

"What'd you do before all this?" Glenn asked curiously, "Were you like, some type of survivalist or something?"

"Far from it." Reagan laughed more to herself than around everyone, "I was in the practice of becoming a registered nurse."

"A nurse?" Rick asked skeptically and Reagan looked to him,

"Hard to imagine, I know." Reagan smiled and Daryl sighed, turning the conversation in a different direction,

"I'm gonna go out." Daryl said and threw his crossbow's strap over his head, "Go try to find us some good venison."

"Are you sure?" Rick asked and looked to one of the boarded up windows, "It's starting to snow outside. Like Reagan said, a storm could be comin' in."

"I'll be fine. Just gonna hit up the forest behind the house over here. I ain't gonna be lookin' for somethin' big, maybe a couple rabbits; some squirrels if I can." Daryl moved towards the garage door, "Everything's goin' into hibernation. Not much to choose from."

"Before you decide to take off..." Reagan said as she turned and walked towards a closet. Daryl watched her as she opened the door and pulled out a long, thick cloth before turning and tossing it to him. The crossbow-wielder caught it swiftly, "That'll give you extra protection from the wind and keep you nice and toasty. I used to use it back in the day before I found my black cloak."

Daryl looked back down at the colors cluttering the poncho and ran his fingers across the thick fibers. With a nod, he looked back up at her, "Thanks."

"Just don't make me have to come save your ass again. Everybody only gets one."

**.:o:.**

Reagan sat on a lounging chair by the fire, comfortable with her belly content from a wonderfully cooked meal. Even though it had started snowing bad outside, Daryl managed to come back with a couple rabbits and even a possum. Reagan didn't like the idea of eating such a nasty, oversized rodent. But the way it was prepared, along with some canned vegetables and baked potatoes, she just couldn't say no. She had to admit, the people in Rick's group sure knew what they were doing when it came down to the wire. Reagan wanted to retreat to her room for the night to eat by herself, but the group insisted she stay and eat with them. For the time being, she was one of them. For being by herself for so long she was so used to being by herself, doing everything by herself, and even talking to herself at times. It was nice having company while it lasted. She just hoped that they weren't putting on an act; she would've had to hate killing them all.

Reagan stared into the dancing flames as they warmed the house and were kept at bay in the fireplace. Her eyes flickered along with the inferno and her wet hair cooled her face from becoming too hot. Everyone else had retired for the night, in what she assumed because she was by herself curled up in the lounging chair. Her eyes continued to glare into the fiery abyss, her chin resting on her hand, and her teeth chewing on her pinky nail. Her mind wandered elsewhere,

"Thought you'd be headin' to bed along with everyone else." Slightly startled, her eyes turned to Rick as his grizzly face became illuminated by the fire through the houses darkness.

"Sometimes I just like to sit up and think." Reagan shifted in her chair and rested her head against her knuckles, "Besides, it gives me my moments to reconcile the day's events."

"Nothing really occurred today."

"A lot did... a lot that you and I may not know about." She said and Rick narrowed his eyes, sitting down on the couch next to her chair. He rested his elbows on his knees and stared into the fire as well, getting lost in its fiery depths. Reagan stared over at him amusingly,

"You and your group have quite the mix of personalities. I've never met any like yours so far..."

"We had more..." Rick voiced and looked over at her briefly, "A lot more..."

"That's always the story." Reagan said with a small smile, "Everyone has their fair share of losses these days. Sometimes you've just got to grin and bear it."

"Is that what you did?" Rick asked, "With your group? The people you've lost dear to you?" Reagan lost his smile and twiddled with her wet blonde hair, staring back into the fire,

"I never got too close to anyone in my group... sure I was pretty messed up about them being slaughtered mercilessly in front of me. I got over it eventually. But now, there's no time for mourning. It'll only hinder you and get you killed." Reagan sighed and shook her head, "I've already been through so much that nothing really bothers me anymore."

"You're outlook on this life of yours..." Rick looked over at her curiously, "You don't see anything wrong with it?"

"There's plenty wrong with it... but I don't let it hold me back anymore." Reagan was quick to admit, "I welcome death and I'm sure he welcomes me with open arms.

"I don't understand..." Rick shook his head, "How can you go about like this and not fear dying? It doesn't make sense how you're still alive."

"There are things in this world that we will never understand... people in our lives that we try to protect; but ultimately our efforts are in vain and they die." Reagan tore her eyes from the dwindling fire and stared into Rick's burning blue eyes, "We kill to survive and we survive to kill; a vicious and endless cycle. Eventually we succumb to this evil and I've accepted that as a part of my daily life. I'm not afraid of death anymore, nor will I ever be. We must pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and expect the unexpected; a standard philosophy I solemnly live by. Adopt these standards, Mr. Rick Grimes, and then maybe you'll be able to see this world through my eyes."

Rick only stared back at her, trying to soak in all her philosophical words like a sponge. Reagan stood to her feet and tossed one last glance at the spellbinding fire, stretching her legs and looking back at Rick, "I must be getting off to bed right about now. I'll have a long day ahead of me."

"What do you mean?" Rick followed her shadow as she moved behind the couch towards the stairs, "Where are you goin' tomorrow?" He watched Reagan stop, but she didn't turn around to face him. She was almost hesitant to say,

"I'm going out to scavenge." She admitted and barely looked at him over her shoulder, "I never got a chance to finish out that town before I found you guys."

"Take some of us with you." Rick stepped forward, "We can help. You just have to give us a chance."

"Maybe some other time." She shook her head, "I work better alone, anyways. You should stay here and get as much rest as you can and spend as much time with your family as it allots. You were a lot like me before... running on fumes and wringing yourself dry for the sake of the group. But trust me... you're no better to them as a dead man is in that condition."


	3. Chapter 3

For the first time in days, the sun glared down on the blanket of snow covering the ground of earth. The fresh, crisp Georgian air slithered through the trees as their branches sucked in as much oxygen and sunlight as time allotted. A few birds, that had not yet made their travels farther south, bounced about in the trees branches. But even they knew that they couldn't be too loud in fear that Walkers would begin to descend upon them. They watched curiously at the house below them, tilting their heads and letting out soft chirps as they listened to the loud cracking sound.

The shed door behind the house was wide open. Reagan swung a double bladed axe over her head and it slammed down on a log, splitting it in half. She grabbed one of the split ends and placed it back on the home log, taking a deep breath and swinging it up over her head once again. Her heart pounded and her breaths slipped through her lips as pants. She had been splitting wood for quite some time; losing track of the time as the sun overhead moved through the sky. Feeling the unbearable heat forming under the cloth of her jacket, Reagan unzipped it and yanked it off, tossing it on the ground. She rolled the sleeves up on her tight shirt and grabbed the handle of the axe, pulling it from the home log and letting the head drop into the snow. Her shoulders were starting to burn from the work and her arms shook as if trying to get Reagan to take a break. But she had to do it; it was just another task that needed to get done.

The squealing back door opened and Reagan looked over to the porch to see Glenn and T-Dog stepping out. Watching them approach briefly, Reagan returned her gaze to the task at hand and grabbed another log to split. Wheeling the axe behind her, she took a deep breath and held it as she released her arms and sliced to wood in half with the utmost ease. T-Dog and Glenn stared, slightly impressed by her strength, "Why don't you take a break for a bit? We can take it from here." Glenn offered, seeing the tiredness already forming on her face.

"You don't have to do everything around here by yourself anymore. We're fully capable of pulling our own weight." T-Dog nodded at her and Reagan stared at them both. With the shrug of her shoulders, she handed T-Dog the axe,

"Help yourselves. You should probably try to cut whatever's left in the shed. There's not much there." T-Dog took the axe from her hands and Glenn leaned down, grabbing the already split pieces of wood to carry some into the house.

Reagan leaned down and grabbed her jacket, tossing it over her shoulder as she walked back towards the front of the house. The cold air caught her hot breath and caused it to form in front of her face as she walked; the steam rolled off her face and slowly disappeared into the air behind her. Her brows narrowed as she walked around the side of the garage, hearing hammers pounding up against the wall. Her brown eyes found Carl, Beth, Maggie, and Hershel all standing out in front of the house pounding nails into the boards that kept the windows safe and secure. Knowing that they were only trying to make the house more secure to live, Reagan retreated into the house, her eyes scanning for two familiar subjects in general.

Rick and Daryl stood in the living room, speaking in hushed tones with one another while Lori and Carol did dishes and cleaned up after breakfast. Reagan eyed her scythe as she walked by it and the two men looked up at her as her boots thudded against the hardwood floors. Curiously, she stared at them both, "Care to tell me what you two are up to?"

"Just talkin'." Daryl said plainly and Reagan huffed. Rick stared at Daryl for a moment before looking at Reagan,

"We're tryin' to figure out what to do to make this place more secure. We already have Maggie, Hershel, Carl, and Beth reinforcing the doors and windows all around the house. Is there another way into the yard other than the iron gate?"

"There's a back gate behind the shed. You can only get in with a key." Reagan's hand brushed up against her back pocket, making sure the key was in there. Rick nodded,

"Then there's no need to mess with that at the moment."

"I need to discuss something with you two." Reagan voiced, causing the two survivors to look at her intently. Daryl narrowed his eyes,

"What about?"

"Our supplies." She eyed him quickly and then looked back to Rick, "You guys have been here for a little over a week now. Because of that we're using more fuel than before; I know the days and nights are getting colder but we're gonna have to cut back or go out to look for more."

"How much wood do we have left?" Rick asked and Reagan shook her head,

"About maybe three days' worth. As for diesel for the generators, just about two canisters left. We need to start getting some stuff together while the weathers nice. I'm not a meteorologist so I can't say what the weather's going to be like here in the next few days."

"What do we need to do?" Daryl asked, ready to go out and scavenge for much needed supplies.

"There are a few dead trees out behind the house." Reagan nodded her head towards the back yard, "You guys should take the chainsaw's out there and cut 'em down. The four-wheeler has plenty of gas and the trailers already hooked up to it so you can take it out there."

"What about the diesel?" Rick tilted his head at her and she sighed,

"I'll head out and go find some cars to siphon out of, as well as some more supplies like medications and parts to build my homemade bombs."

"You sure you wanna go out by yourself? I can go with, ain't no skin off my bones." Daryl offered and Reagan smiled, shaking her head in refusal,

"No. I'm better off by myself... one less person to worry about."

"Daryl's right." Rick's southern voice slid into her ears, causing her to look back at the leader, "I know you've been by yourself for quite some time, but taking another person with you might prove better worth than you're letting. I'll go with you. That way we can get in an out fast and you'll have an extra pair of hands and eyes to find what we're searchin' for."

Reagan sighed in discontent at Rick's piercing eyes, knowing that there was going to be no room to argue. Even if she tried, she knew she would be easily defeated. Rick was a very persistent man on getting what he wanted; he was the type of man that was willing to do anything to help. Reagan finally nodded in agreement, "Fine... but don't blame me if I leave you in the dust. You should gather your group so we can discuss this. It's getting to be low noon, so we'll only have a few hours to use until it gets dark."

The two men walked around Reagan and she watched them disappear behind the door leading into the garage. Reagan turned and made her way towards a large door, pulling out a set of keys and shoving on into the lock. With the turn of the key, the door handle turned and Reagan yanked the door open, feeling a rush of cool air against her face. Her brown eyes stared at the offensive supplies in the room: guns, ammunition, homemade bombs, a couple shelves filled with Molotov's. One half of the room looked intimidating; the other half filled with extra blankets, large packages of food supplies, and anything else Reagan wanted to horde for some unknown use. She heard the garage door open again as she began to grab the assault rifles lying on the bed. Shouldering a couple and grabbing a bag, she left to room to meet the eyes of the gathered group. They watched her set down the guns and bag, curiously watching as she unzipped the black duffle.

"So what's all this about?" Glenn asked while looking to Rick and the leader rubbed the scruff on his face,

"We're runnin' out of fuel supplies. With only a couple days' worth of gasoline and wood left we have to go out and get some more."

"So we're all goin' to town?" Maggie asked and Rick shook his head,

"No... Daryl, Glenn, T-Dog, and Carl are gonna head out behind the house with the four-wheeler to get some wood. Reagan says there's a few dead trees back there so you all shouldn't have any trouble. Reagan and I are gonna head to town and find some cars to siphon diesel out of; we're gonna scavenge as much as we can while we're there."

"What about the rest of us?" Carol asked from the side and Rick looked to her,

"You'll keep watch on the house. Just because there hasn't been any incidents yet doesn't mean somethin' might not happen." Rick warned and no one had any protests to voice against him. Reagan handed Maggie and Daryl's rifles,

"I wish I could've found more guns to give to you all, but these AR's are all I have." She handed one to Rick as well and started pulling ammunition boxes out of the duffle, "There are a lot rounds, as you can see, but use them sparingly. I'm sure you all know that guns should be used as a last resort?" Reagan looked up briefly at everyone, seeing a couple nodding in agreement. Her hands also began pulling out pistols and a few knives, "Some pistols have silencers, some don't."

"Where'd you get all these?" T-Dog asked while lifting up a pistol and examining it. Reagan smirked,

"Let's just say I have sticky fingers."

"What about the bombs?" Carl asked while looking up at Reagan, her eyes seeing the curiosity in his, "Can we use them if we need them?"

"There are a few on the four-wheeler, as well as Molotov's. I doubt you're going to need them where you're going." Reagan looked over to Daryl, "The chainsaw's are out in the shed. They both should be full with gas but you should take a gas can with you just in case."

"Alright." Daryl's scruffy voice said with a nod along with his head. His blue eyes looked to Carl, T-Dog, and Glenn, "Let's get movin'. We don't got any time to waste." The four left the group and disappeared back into the garage. Reagan grabbed a pistol loaded with a silencer on the end, handing it to Rick. He looked at it briefly before staring back into her odd brown eyes,

"This is gonna be a lot quieter than that Python you got."

"Thanks." Rick nodded and grabbed the pistol, staring at the jet black steel that made it up. Reagan looked to Hershel, Maggie, and Carol,

"There's plenty of space in the upstairs windows to keep watch. You don't have to stay up there all day but just keep an eye out. When we come back we'll honk three times at the gate to let you know we're back."

"Alright."

"We'll take the SUV." Rick said as he began to fill his pockets full of ammunition for both pistol and rifle. Stuffing an extra AR clip in his back pocket, he tossed Reagan the keys. She caught them swiftly and stared at them for a few moments,

"I'll go get the car ready then." She hooked her pre-packed backpack on her shoulder and turned around, yanking her black cloak off a chair as she passed by. Her hand found the familiar old wooden handle of her scythe and she pulled the garage door open.

Stepping down the small set of stairs, she passed the four men readying the four-wheeler for hours of work. Gas canisters lined the wall of the garage and she picked them up to carry them to the car. The smell of the exhaust made Reagan cough as the putting engine of the wheeler expelled it in the garage. She kicked powdered snow up into the air and pulled on the handle of Hyundai open, reaching in and placing the keys into the ignition. As she turned the key, the SUV struggled to come to life and coughed until it finally roared to life. Reagan moved out of the driver's seat and opened the back door, tossing her backpack, scythe, and rifle into the back seat. Her breath formed in front of her face once again as she watched both Lori and Rick standing in the garage, Lori's lips moving in inaudible words at Reagan's distance. She kissed Rick on the cheek and Rick nodded at his wife; Rick did not return a kiss, Reagan wondering why. Lori's hand slid off Rick's shoulder as he walked towards the SUV, his rifle and pistol gripped tightly in his hands. Reagan forgot one more important thing in the house and moved away from the car to retrieve it, "You can drive." Reagan nodded as she passed Rick.

Grabbing a map from the table inside, Reagan wheeled back around on her boot and walked back towards the door. It opened and Lori stepped in, her hand rubbing his now prominent stomach softly. Reagan startled her as the two women almost ran into each other, "I'm sorry!" Lori breathed and placed her hand on her chest, taking a deep breath. Reagan shook her head,

"No problem at all. Be careful with that basketball of yours." She nodded towards Lori's stomach and Lori couldn't help but smile,

"Yeah... sometimes I just forget about it." Lori's blue eyes looked back at Reagan and her smile faltered. She let out a sigh and placed her hand on Reagan's shoulder, "Please keep an eye out for Rick... if anything happens to him; I don't know what we're gonna do."

Reagan saw the concern in her weary blue doe eyes, reminding her of someone in her past life. Reagan felt a stubborn lump roll down her throat and she nodded, "I won't let anything happen to him. I promise."

"Thank you..."

**.:o:.**

Reagan was rather impressed at how quiet the SUV was. The only sound audible was the soft humming of the Hyundai's engine. Reagan stared at the map in her hand, her eyes narrowed as she focused all her attention of trying to figure out where to go. Rick sat quietly and humbly in the driver's seat, keeping the car at a moderate pace in order to avoid a spin out in the snow and getting stuck. The car's tires tugged at the influence of the deep snow, making the back end swerve slightly. Reagan looked up to make sure everything was alright and Rick shoved the car into four-wheel drive. Finally, the SUV steadied itself out and Rick could pursue on without any more complications. They had been driving for quite some time and Rick was beginning to question their whereabouts. He looked over at Reagan as she continued to study the map in her hands, his eyes moving back through the windshield. Seeing a few cars in whatever was the road, Rick slowed the vehicle and dodged around them.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Rick asked as he stared into a few car windows as the Hyundai passed by. Reagan kept her golden eyes on the map,

"A new town I've never been to yet." Reagan tilted the map over towards Rick, "All the X's on the map indicate the towns I've already raided. This one right here... it seems pretty big." She pointed at one in particular and Rick nodded,

"How much longer till we get there?"

"If we keep steady mileage... Probably another twenty minutes." She rested the map on her lap and watched an abandoned car slide by as Rick pressed his boot down on the gas. Her eyes softened as she stared at the scenery seeming to fly by in slow motion, the beauty of the flawless snow covering everything still seemed to amaze her. It glistened under the bright rays of the sun and every little flake had its own story to tell. Reagan admired the snow; it didn't have a care in the world other than melting away once its life expectancy dried up.

Rick looked over at Reagan, seeing her staring out the window and keeping quiet. She was a firecracker; the first one he had met in a while. He could tell she was easily amused by arguments among the group members, especially Daryl because of his hard-headedness. But Rick still didn't trust this woman. She seemed like she was still hiding something. But complying with her and the rules of her establishment was the only thing on his mind that he cared about. He and his group needed somewhere safe to stay until winter's end, or maybe, for as long as they could hold out there. If Reagan was telling the truth of it not being comprised by the uninvited living or dead, they could live there possibly forever. If they were going to coexist with one another, Rick wanted to know more about Reagan other than the brief stories she told about her past groups. There were just too many gaps and he wanted to know where she was coming from,

"You don't talk much about yourself, do you?"

"Not much to me these days." Reagan looked over at him, her sarcastic tone rearing its ugly head, "Some things are just better left unsaid."

"You got some kind of darkness round you? Do you have demons bad enough that you never want to talk about it?"

"Please..." Reagan snorted and looked out the window with a smile, "I didn't have some shitty childhood that makes me some mysterious person. I had what everybody dreamed of... rich-ass parents, a giant house, a brand new car for my sixteenth birthday. I had it all."

"You say it as if it disappeared right under your feet."

"That's because it did." Reagan's smile dropped and she looked over at him from the corner of her eyes, "I had two older sisters, they were fraternal twins, about ten years older than I was. One became a doctor and the other was a biochemical engineer. They were my parent's pride and joy... then there was me: Reagan." Reagan's eyes dropped to the map on her lap and she scraped her fingers against the thick paper, "I did everything I could to make them proud. Got straight A's, was on the honor roll, and on my way to becoming a Valedictorian for the school. But nothing ever seemed good enough, you know? I didn't want to follow the footsteps of my sisters; I wanted to be my own person. My parents didn't like it... so I retaliated like any teenager would."

"How so?" Rick asked curiously and his blue eyes flicked over to her, but she didn't meet his eye contact. Only staring out the window, he saw the hesitation on her lips as a smile formed across her cheeks,

"I used to be a hardcore tweeker." She couldn't help but laugh as she said the word, not sounding ashamed in the slightest, "I've done every drug you could ever think of... but that heroin, man, I tell you... that's one hell of a drug." She rolled up the sleeve on her sweat shirt and Rick instantly noticed the barely visible track scars in the valley of her arm. With him being a cop, they were hard _not _to notice, "My parents found out about my drug problem... didn't like the way I was acting. My dad disowned me and threw me out of the house as soon as I turned eighteen. I managed to graduate school, though. That was one plus."

Reagan looked over to Rick and their eyes met for a short moment before he had to look back to the road. She didn't expect anything less from them; no one usually had anything to say about it when they heard the story, "I chose to destroy my life... and for some odd reason... I don't really feel bad about it."

"Why do you say that?" Rick looked over at her, his hand keeping the steering wheel steady. A sudden look of regret and misery claimed Reagan's always-carefree face, her eyes refusing to meet Rick's. She shook her head and looked out the window, staring at the lonely standing trees that flew by in a blur,

"That story is for another time..." She voiced softly, her shoulders tense and woeful.

The rest of the car ride was quiet and slightly awkward. Rick had a twinge of guilt for asking so many questions and pushing her on, hoping he didn't disturb her focus on the mission they were dealt out. The only words she spoke were directions to get to the town and thus went back into inaudibility. Rick's blue eyes narrowed at the brightness of the sun reflecting off the snow and boring into his face. He wished he had a pair of sunglasses and a plow on the front of the Hyundai to make it easier to drive. But the small SUV managed to push through easily with the help of four-wheel drive.

Finally, houses slowly began to litter the sides of the road, in what Rick assumed was the road. For all he knew they could have been driving on the front lawn of house. There were no boundaries to distinguish where the road ended or began. Reagan's golden eyes stared at the broken down and abandoned houses as they passed by, seeing Walkers standing outside in the freezing cold as if waiting to be invited in. As Walkers all around began to take notice to the moving vehicle making way towards the heart of the town, they desperately tried to pursue. But in such freezing temperatures, they couldn't move faster than a slow walk; their persistence was almost as big as their appetite. Rick slowed the car and pulled it into a parking lot behind a large building, parking it and looked over at Reagan.

"This should be good enough." She said and her eyes finally met Rick's, "Keep your eyes out. Those Walkers aren't the only things out there we should be cautious of." Reagan pulled open the back door and grabbed her black cloak, tossing it over her shoulders. With her long, dirty blonde hair tied up on the back of her head, she left her hood down on her shoulders and slid her scythe off from the seats. She handed Rick his rifle and silenced pistol, grabbing her own AR and tossing the strap over her head to rest on the crane of her neck. Grabbing the wooden handle of her scythe, she handled it in both hands as she turned around the face Rick, tossing him an empty backpack. He looked at it questioningly,

"You never know what you're gonna find." Reagan already answered the question brewing in his head, securing her own pack under the flaps of her black cloak. They each grabbed a gas canister and siphoning tube; Rick turned around and stepped through the light, powdery snow around the building they parked behind. Reagan followed him closely, the blade of her scythe barely scraping over the top of the snow as they walked. Both of their pairs of eyes scanned their surroundings, keeping a look out for any threat at all. But as they turned the corner, Rick immediately stopped, Reagan staring at his back confusingly, "What's wrong?"

"Walkers. A lot of 'em." Rick answered back, mimicking the quietness of her soft voice. Reagan looked over the corner, seeing dozens of Walkers meandering about in the snow. Some lied on the ground in the snow, others swayed about as they stood in the cold weather, and many walked around the abandoned cars of the street. Reagan eyed some of the shops that lined the blanketed sidewalks and looked to Rick, setting down her gas canister,

"We'll deal with siphoning the diesel later. Let's just get in and out of those shops to find what we can."

"Is that the best way?" Rick asked quietly and Reagan nodded,

"They might not be able to walk too fast but getting cornered isn't always the funnest thing to deal with. If we stay too long, the wind will carry our scent out and bring more in... don't wanna end up like the night I found you guys." Rick then dropped his own gas canister next to the building wall, looking at her questioningly once again. Reagan nodded across the street, "I'll take that side of the street... you stay on this side. These corpses are dumb enough not to inhabit the sidewalks so staying low and quiet won't be too difficult."

"You sure splitting up with all these Walkers around is a good idea?"

"You've got to stop questioning my every move." Reagan shook her head and in a split second, she was already rushing off to the other side of the street. Rick watched her careful, but flawless, movements as she imitated a shadow.

Reagan's gloved hand slid over the hood of a car as she reached the other side of the street. Snow fell off the cars steel and joined its flaky comrades on the ground, Reagan looking back over her shoulder to see if Rick was still standing across the street. Seeing he was gone, she turned her attention back towards the sidewalk and slowly began to move along the front of the buildings. Keeping a close eye on the Walkers in the streets, Reagan grabbed onto the door handle of a shop and turned it. Surprisingly it was unlocked and didn't need the aid of her makeshift lock pick; she slipped into the shadows and closed the door almost silently behind her. The gold eyes situated on her face acclimated to the dimness of the room; the only light offering illuminated solace was that of the sun through the dirty windows.

The building she entered was a small general store. Racks of different items cluttered the unit, items and objects strung out all over the floor from being scavenged. Reagan stepped over the objects on the ground, careful not to make too much noise to draw attention to her location. She slid the backpack off her shoulders, the handle hanging from her fingers as she squatted down to begin picking up large cans of hairspray and other flammable aerosol cans. Ingredients to make her homemade bombs lied all over the floors. The only things missing were road flares; they would prove rather difficult to find as people found all kinds of different uses for them in those days.

After grabbing what she could out of the small containers of headache meds and other low end medications, she stuffed them into the backpack and got back to her feet. She walked through the rest of store, trying to find more items useful to both her and the group that inhabited her compound. But someone had already gone through the shelves and gathered up whatever necessary items used in their survival. Reagan huffed and tossed the strap of her backpack over her shoulder, returning to the door she first entered through. Grabbing the bell on the door handle, she yanked it off and placed it on a desk in front of the front window to ensure the upmost of silence. With the door opening by the influence of her hand, she slipped back out and ducked down behind the shadows of a car parked on the street. She knew the Walkers were beginning to pick up her scent and were now searching for the source of her mouthwatering aroma.

A soft wind blew through town and that didn't help the situation. Reagan quickly tossed on her hood and the black fabric hung down the sides of her face, masking somewhat of whatever scent she had. A low snarl rumbled against Reagan's ears and she turned to see a Walker slowly making way through the tight squeeze of two cars that were bumper-to-bumper. Not wanting to take the risk of it following her, she slowly got to her feet and pulled the blade of her scythe behind her. With an inaudible swing, the Walkers head popped off its body and thumped onto the snowy concrete, rolling to a quick stop. Reagan made way past the Walkers falling body and grabbed onto another door quietly. The door handle jiggled as she tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Sending a cautious glance over her shoulder, she noticed the other Walkers had not yet spotted her yet. Her gloved hand slid under her cloak, rummaging through the pocket of her jacket to find her tools. Pulling out her lock picks, she shoved them into the handle of the door and tinkered with them. Listening intently to both her task and the dangers looming behind her, she worked as quickly as the handle would let her. Finally, she heard a click and slowly turned the lock, her heart swimming with relief as the door popped open. Slipping inside, Reagan pushed the door shut behind her and let out a sharp sigh. The new room she stood in was slightly warmer than the cold winter air outside, making her body shudder under the temperature change.

As she took a look in her surroundings, her eyes suddenly noticed that she was now in the pharmacy next door. She let out a sigh of relief and walked towards the desks, jumping over the counter and landing steadily on the other side. The shelves holding the pharmaceuticals were somewhat untouched, only a few large gaps in between some of the bottles. But being a registered nurse, Reagan knew exactly what each and every one of the bottles were and what they did. With her scythe being too troublesome to carry in such tight spaces, she rested it on the counter of the pharmacy and turned back around to face the many bottles of medications. As she stepped forward, her eyes scanned the names plastered on the bottles, looking for certain pain and infection medications that would be useful. Her fingers plucked a few off the shelves and stuff them into the backpack; her eyes darted to and from different labels and she grabbed each she knew would help in some way possible.

Her eyes stopped when she stared at pregnancy medications sitting on a middle shelf in the next aisle. Her mind instantly fell on Lori and the growing stomach the lied under her shirt. She knew in the first moments she met the group that the brown haired woman was pregnant and it was one of the main reasons Reagan didn't kick them out within the first couple days of them staying there. Her fingers grabbed a large bottle of very high quality prenatals and she stared at it for a long moment. She didn't do much to help Rick's group since they arrived, other than sharing her house with them, and quite frankly she was becoming fond of them. She didn't want to admit it to herself or any other member of Rick's group, but deep down inside she couldn't deny it.

Reagan stuffed the bottle in her bag and grabbed yet another, making sure there was plenty for Lori to hold her for a good few months. Multivitamin, Iron, and Calcium bottles made it in with the rest of the medications. Reagan was a bit surprised so many good prescriptions were still sitting on the shelves; but then again the door was locked and no one could really get in. Her backpack began to grow heavy from so many pill bottles and she soon went to the back corner of the shop. There was only a small section of first aid gear but whatever was left was fine for Reagan. She began to stuff bandages, bottles of iodine, rubbing alcohol, peroxide, gauze, and other medical supplies in a small section of the bag. She smiled to herself upon hitting the jackpot in the pharmacy. These could hold the group out for as long as winter plagued their surroundings.

Reagan froze at the sound of a loud gunshot, staring out the window as the Walkers took notice to it as well. Her eyebrows narrowed and she tossed the backpack on the counter, jumping back over it and peeking through the windows. She tried to find the source, but as another gunshot sounded, it echoed through the town and it was hard to pinpoint its location. Reagan knew Rick wasn't stupid enough to use his rifle or .357 to put down a Walker and her heart raced when she figured that new people had made their way into the town. They were threatening both themselves and Rick and Reagan's safety using such loud weapons. The Walkers may not have been fast in the weather but once they got together in a herd it was no stopping them.

Reagan grabbed her backpack and scythe, running back to the door and pulling it open. Her eyes grew wide at the site of Walkers already crowding the streets and sidewalks; their silver eyes managing to find their way to her. Reagan gritted her teeth and swung the large blade of her reaping scythe, lopping off a few Walkers heads. Once the gunshots had disappeared, Reagan now was the prime focus in the Walkers eyes; she was a possible, but stubborn, food source.

Even though she had a long ranged weapon, her arms could only swing it so many times before they became tired. A snarl sounded behind her and she thought quickly on her feet, swinging around and ramming the blade against the Walkers heads and necks. They were slowly beginning to surround her and Reagan's mind quickly thought to Rick and what his situation might be. She had to go find him and make sure he didn't get himself in trouble. _Please keep an eye out for Rick._

Reagan booted a Walker against the chest as hard as she could and watched it stumble back and fall to the ground. Its Walker brothers and sisters ignored it and only focused all attention on Reagan, taking in her delicious scent. Slamming the edge of her scythe's handle into a Walkers face, her eyes immediately searched for an escape route. Her scythe didn't do so well in tight spaces. Finally seeing an exit point, Reagan shoved a Walker out of the way and jumped up onto the trunk of a car. Landing on the other side, she weaved through the horde of Walkers brewing on the streets and frantically tried to find a new escape. She searched for a sign of Rick, waiting for him to pop out of the shadows so they can make their grand escape back to the comfort of the SUV.

As Reagan stepped through the narrow way of two cars, she heard a snap and gasped, feeling an incredible pain in her ankle. With a loud shout of pain, she was slammed on her back and all she could feel was her body coming out from under her. Hair hung from her face and her eyes stared at the grey sky, trying to figure out what was going on as she finally came to a stop. As she looked down, she saw the ground below her and Walkers staring up as they crowded around a truck, their arms and fingers raised above them. She panted from the heavy adrenaline pumping through her body and realized she was hanging upside down. An immense surge of pain attacked her body and she gritted her teeth with a low whine, looking back up to see that her foot had been caught in a very large, very strong bear trap. Reagan then realized she had fallen into an ensnarement that was set by someone who wanted to catch something. She looked back down to the ground, noticing her scythe had fallen into the bed of the truck in all the commotion of the trap being released.

"_We've got a live one over here!"_


	4. Chapter 4

"Yo boys! We got ourselves a little prize over here!"

Reagan could feel herself getting dizzier and dizzier by the second.

She flailed, trying to get down from the trap she was in as fast as she could once the blood started rushing to her brain. The man's oddly familiar voice at the end of the street flooded her ears, as well as his gunshots as he took down a few Walkers the meandered up to him. Reagan's gold eyes watched as he disappeared behind the building he came from, most likely going to gather reinforcements to gun down Walkers and take on Reagan. She just couldn't let that happen.

Reagan yanked her cloak off and let it fall into the bed of the truck below her, along with her bladed scythe that gleamed back up at her. She did her best to lean over to see exactly what she was dealing with, grunting from the never ending pain that riddled through her left leg. There she saw the serrated bear trap clamped down on her boot so tightly she could see blood beginning to seep through the thick pad, knowing it had to have been serious. She followed the trail of the thick rope the bear trap was tied to and noticed that it draped over a light post that Reagan so desperately hung from. As Reagan heard more gunshots and more voices, she began to grow panicked that it might be her last moments: hanging like a trapped animal waiting to be executed. It would either be the Walkers or the humans that would be the ones to claim her life. Not both.

Reagan reached her free leg back and her fingers wiggled in attempts to grab it. As soon as she grabbed her boot behind her back, her face contorted into a pain riddled frenzy at the sudden weight change bearing down on her trapped ankle. A cold sweat broke out across her brow and pained heat formed under her clothing. Reagan gritted her teeth so hard that she swore they could break and ignored the pain the best she could, reaching into her boot and sliding out a large, hidden knife. Upon pulling it out, she balanced her legs with one another and took a deep breath, using all her abdominal muscles to crawl up to her leg. She gripped her thigh tightly and reached up, grabbing onto the bear trap triumphantly. A few strained pants escaped her lips and she looked down over her shoulder, seeing numerous Walkers crowding around the side of the truck and waiting for her to fall into their pit. Their snarls caught up in her ears and she closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths before making her decision. It was now or never.

"Fuck... this is going to hurt." She gasped to herself before reaching her free arm up and slashing the knife across the rope.

Reagan's body crashed down on the cab of the truck, her entire weight denting the whole top of the vehicle. The windows exploded out of the driver's and passenger's side doors, sending glass shrapnel shooting through the air and even through a few Walkers heads. All the breath in Reagan's chest halted and her mouth gaped open as she tried to breath, staring up at the sky in nothing but a blur. Her ringing ears could make out the soft sound of Walkers growling and snarling at her, even so much as fingers touching the sleeve of her jacket. The burning pain brewing in her ankle snapped her back into reality and she took a much needed, but shallow breath.

"She's down! She's down!" Reagan heard the shouts of the similar man and looked over seeing at least four of them standing at the end of the street. Her eyes widened as one of them raised his rifle and she immediately lifted herself up, rolling into the bed of the truck.

Bullets slammed up against the side and Reagan tossed her hands over her head in attempts to protect her fragile skull. As the bullets seized for only a few moments, Reagan grabbed her scythe and cloak, tossing the black fabric back over her shoulders. She glanced down at the bear trap and placed some weight on her ankle, grunting from an abrupt surge of undeniable pain. Reagan flinched as blood splattered all over her face, watching a Walker's head slam up against the side of the truck and disappear to the ground. Her fingers gripped up against the blunt edges of the bear trap and she used all the might of her arms combined to try and pry it apart. It only moved a few inches before her fingers slipped and it snapped back down on her boot, Reagan letting out a sharp cry from the traps intensity.

"Get her before she escapes! Take down all those biters first... we don't need any causalities today." She heard a faint voice say and her heart practically leapt out of her chest.

"Stop being a little bitch!" Reagan hissed to herself, taking one last look at the trap around her ankle before grabbing onto the hilt of her scythe. She then discovered her knife was still gripped in the palm of her hand and she quickly sheathed it back in the depths of her good boot.

Reagan took a few deep breaths and then popped open her golden eyes, feeling her fingers begin to get cold through her gloves. She jumped up to her feet, almost falling back down into the bed of her truck upon putting weight of her bum ankle. Shifting all she could to her good foot, she swung the long blade of her scythe and sliced off the heads of a few Walkers crowding around the truck. Gunfire swiftly blazed past her and she swore she felt one slide past her head. Reagan dove over the side of the truck and slid across the ground with a grunt, the handle of her scythe still clinging desperately in her hand. The many presences of Walkers crowded around her, and in such a tight space between vehicles, there was no way the radius of her longs scythe could successfully cut down her enemy.

She rolled over on her back and reached into the flap of her jacket, sliding out a pistol and aiming it at the head of a Walker. Complete with a silencer, she pulled the trigger and the bullet pierced its brain, sending it plummeting to the ground. Her gloved hands helped her crawl backwards away from the frenzy that slowly moved after her, Reagan looking over her shoulder to see a path to the other side of the road clear as day. A Walker fell to its knees and grabbing onto her leg, Reagan quick to react with a swift bullet to its head. Wrapping her hand around the handle of her scythe, she stuck the blunt edge of the blade into the ground and slowly got to her feet. With a limp, she used her scythe as leverage and balance to help her stumble to the sidewalk lining the stores and buildings.

Reagan slammed her sore back up against a car, avoiding the spray of bullets that threatened to end her life. She looked through the broken windows the bullets had destroyed, seeing the men trying to make their way through the streets to get at her, cutting down Walkers along the way. Reagan's trigger finger shook with anticipation to gun down every single one of the militia men, but she knew in her condition she had no chance unless she got the bear trap off her ankle. With a deep breath, she hobbled towards a store, her eyes dead set on the door to take much needed cover. She raised her pistol and gunned down a Walker in her path, slamming the blunt edge of her scythe down on its face ruefully. Its face exploded under the blunt force and Reagan waded up saliva on her tongue, pursing her lips and spitting on the shambled face of the undead. Reagan slid up against the side of the building, looking over her shoulder as she saw the men caught in the middle of a Walker horde, their guns firing off in all directions.

Reagan took a deep breath, turning towards the door and pulling the silenced trigger against a Walker. With the turn of the handle, she mentally sighed in relief that it opened without a hinge and disappeared through the shadows of the room. As she shut the door behind her, Reagan locked the handle and deadlock in hopes that it would hold for as long as possible. She fell against a desk and eventually to the ground, letting out a heavy sigh and gripping her leg. The rusted mouth of the bear trap glared back at her wickedly, Reagan now seeing that there was more blood than she figured. The only thing she could hear were the men's gunshots and the labored breathing coming from her own lips.

"I need to find Rick..."

**.:o:.**

Rick ducked down behind a desk upon hearing an explosive gunshot, staring out through the clouded window of the gas station he was in. It was right around the corner of the block he was on and he was in search for a few more gas canisters, but found none. He moved towards the door as he heard another gunshot, wiping in sleeve on the window to try and get a better view of the outside, but he saw nothing that seemed dangerous. It could have been Reagan popping off shots to possibly get Rick's attention, but he knew better than that. Even though he had only known her for a few weeks, he figured out that she was very careful about how she did things inside and outside the comfort of her compound. She was very sneaky and blasting off shots wasn't something she would normally do.

Unless she could have been in trouble somehow.

But there was no way. It couldn't have been that way. Rick shook his head and put his hand on the cold door handle, opening it and looking out. The Walkers that were occupying his area began to migrate around the corner to all the commotion, Rick narrowing his eyes at why exactly someone would be stupid enough to shoot. The gunfire began to get heavier and Rick shut the door behind him as he fully stepped out of the station. His hand tightened around the handle of his silenced pistol and he held it in front of him just in case he needed to lift it quickly. His boots stepped lightly through the snow as he made way towards the back of the building strip. Instead of following the Walkers around the corner of the building, he decided to possibly take an alleyway to investigate the commotion.

Rick's sleeved shoulder brushed up against the brick make of the building, his eyes constantly darting back and forth for any sign of danger. He steadied his breathing to keep as quiet as possible, careful not to alert any stray Walkers that may be hiding everywhere and anywhere. A soft wind caressed his scruffy face, Rick slowing as he looked up at the sky, seeing some clouds beginning to muddle its soft view. The sun disappeared behind the fluffy concoctions and Rick's eyes darkened, knowing that at any moment another storm front would roll through and leave both him and Reagan stranded with whoever else was in the town. Rick then continued to step forward, a warm breath halting in his lips as his cold ears picked up a sudden sound.

A strong force knocked Rick off his feet and snow powdered onto his face, it instantly turning to liquid upon kissing his warm skin. Rick shoved back across the ground with his feet, his blue eyes glancing up to see two men crowding around him. One grabbed his boot and jumped down on him, slamming his fist into Rick's face and jarring him briefly. Rick gritted his teeth and wrapped his hand around the man's neck, pushing him up and ramming his knee into the man's stomach. He coughed and Rick shoved him off, reaching his pistol hand up and aiming at the man standing above him. He instantly kicked the pistol from Rick's hand just as the sheriff pulled the trigger, Rick feeling an intense pain in his wrist. The man reached down and grabbed the collar of Rick's jacket yanking him to his stumbling feet,

"Get the hell up you pussy!" He called to his partner as he struggled to get back to his feet, "We need to kill this asshole and take his shit before Kent comes over here and does it for us." He reached his fist back and shoved it into Rick's stomach, causing him to fall to his knees and gasp for air. Rick quickly recovered as he took in the real reality of the situation, knowing that if he didn't fight back he was for sure going to get killed.

Rick shoved his shoulder into the man's stomach and knocked him to the ground, Rick falling on his chest. The militia man grabbed Rick's arms as he tried to pry him off, but Rick shoved all his weight down on him. Rick's fist broke the skin on the man's lips, watching as he spit out blood before his fist could make more contact with the man's face. Rick glared down at him, gritting his teeth, "_You're_ not gonna be the one leavin' _alive_!"

In the rage, Rick obliviously forgot about the man's partner and found himself face first into the snow once again. The sharp tip of a boot rammed into his ribs, causing his to cough out and grab at his side instinctively. As the two strange men regained their composure, they took out their entire wrath upon Rick, not realizing that Rick wasn't such an easy target at first. Never did they expect him to fight back when they first laid their eyes on him in the dark alley.

Rick finally managed to take a breath of fresh air as the onslaught of boots to his torso halted, his blue eyes opening and taking a look. His fingers grew numb against the influence of the cold snow, Rick leaning up as he stared down the barrel of his own silver Python. A sly smirk brewed on the lips of the man as he watched Rick look through the barrel of his own gun, seeing a spark of fear in his eyes. Rick choked down whatever was in his throat, nothing but Lori, Carl, and the rest of his group flying through his mind in his last seconds of life. His jaw tightened and he gritted his teeth, closing his eyes and just waiting for it all to be over.

The man's sharp cries echoed through the air and Rick's eyes popped open, seeing him fall to the ground and blood seeping out of a back wound. Rick looked up at his savior, watching as none other than Reagan ramming the wooden hilt of her scythe against the other man's face, knocking him to the ground. A bloody knife was cradled in her hand, her chest heaving in pants as her golden eyes stared back at him. Rick couldn't believe how undetected she was; the way she came out of nowhere at the last second to save the day, "What's with you people and me having to save your asses?"

Rick didn't say a word as he was still a bit shock, his eyes trailing down to her bloodied ankle. His eyes narrowed at its condition, "What the hell's goin' on?" Rick asked as he got to his feet and looking back into her eyes, Reagan leaning on her scythe for leverage,

"Marauders. By what I can tell they're not friendly." Reagan nodded towards the man she had stabbed three times as he died in the snow, "But you already know that. Anyways, we should get out of here before more of them show up. I already ran into a few of them, I'd rather not again." She looked down at her ankle with a grunt and Rick took a look at the damage,

"What happened to you? Can you walk?"

"I can manage. Don't worry about me... it's really not as bad as it looks." She lied through her teeth, remembering how much pain she endured in prying the bear trap off her ankle.

"We should get moving before-"

"Walter! Kent! Help us!" Reagan jumped at the sound of one of the men she put down shouting as loud as his vocal cords would allow him. She gritted her teeth, "Help! By the gas station-"

Reagan plunged her knife into the back of the man's head, twisting it, and popping it back out of his skull. Blood stained her gloves and as she looked back to Rick, she could see a slight disturbance in his demeanor upon witnessing her actions. Reagan huffed, "Quit lollygagging and let's go." She wiped the bloody blade across her pants, swirling around and hobbled quickly away from the scene, knowing the fresh blood of the recently killed men would soon attract the Walkers. With one last look at the men both dying and dead, Rick followed after her, swinging down and snatching his trusty Python from the dead man's hands.

Reagan slipped in through an alleyway, Rick close behind her as he pulled the rifle off his back and pressed it against his shoulder. He watched Reagan's careful, but slightly clumsy movements as she led him to their vantage point. Reagan soon stopped and peeked over the side of the wall, searching for any sign of living movement. Walkers crowded the streets, looking for any source of the men, or Rick and Reagan, to fill up their hungry bellies. Rick bumped Reagan with him elbow, "What happened to your rifle."

"I dropped it." She said bluntly and looked back at him, "I got caught in all the commotion with these men and I can't remember where I dropped it."

"I should go first." Rick volunteered, standing next to her. She eyed him with contemplation, not knowing whether or not she should let him. Rick could read her eyes like a book, "I'll protect you while you're down. Just trust me."

Reagan saw the sincere look in his blue eyes and she chewed on the inside of her lip, feeling her ankle pound in agreement with Rick. Hesitantly, she nodded at him and lifted her silenced pistol up to show him she was ready, "Alright... I'll watch your back."

Rick pressed past her, cautiously tilting his rifle up as he took the lead and frantically looked back and forth for hostile movement. Reagan pressed the end of her scythe into the snowy ground and followed after him, limping her way through with a few huffs escaping in stressed breaths. Her stomach began to grow queasy and her vision started to spin with all the blood rushing through her veins. Resting her hand on the side of the building, she pressed her hand against her forehead and groaned. Rick looked over his shoulder and was quick by her side, putting a hand on her shoulder, "You gonna make it?"

"Don't worry about me, cowboy." Reagan's eyes had already glazed over with sudden fatigue as she looked at Rick, "I'll make it... just keep moving." Rick hesitantly turned back around, his slim, cold hand sliding off her shoulder and returning to the black steel of his AR. A few Walkers began to take notice to their movements and their legs began to trek slowly towards the two survivors. Reagan kept a close eye on the walking corpses as Rick led her back towards the vehicles to make a slim escape. Reagan stopped briefly as she saw a flashy movement out of the corner of her eye, staring at the other side of the street in trying to find the source.

The explosion of a guns barrel caused Reagan to dive to the ground, avoiding a spray of bullets that riddled through the wall of the building behind her. "Reagan!" She heard Rick call and looked up, seeing him returning fire from over the top of a car, the rifle slamming its recoil against his shoulder. Reagan began to crawl across the ground, keeping low to avoid the death lead from enemy fire. A figure jumped out from behind a truck and Reagan's eyes darted behind her, seeing him pointing her rifle at her. She gasped, waiting for a bullet to crack her skull open and end her life where she lied as she had no time to retrieve her pistol in order to gun him down first.

The man cried out in pain and his body cocked back, blood spattering all over the innocent white snow behind him, a few bullet holes in his chest. Reagan looked back over her shoulder, seeing quickly moving towards her to help her to her feet, "Come on!" He grabbed her arm and hoisted her to her feet, a soft grunt erupting low in her throat from the protesting pain in her ankle. Her scythe drug against the ground as Rick pulled her along, their bodies moving in a slow jog as they tried to avoid the bullets chasing after them. Rick stopped and got on one knee, Reagan following his movements as they hid behind a large truck. She clenched her eyes shut and jumped at the sound of the bullets trying to make their way through the trucks steel to get to the two survivors. Rick panted and pulled the rifles strap off his shoulder, yanking the empty clip out and shoving his only spare back in. "We need to get back to the SUV. Do you think you can run?"

"There's no chance." Reagan shook her head, "The pain's getting worse. You go... I'll cover you."

"No." Rick was quick to answer, "I'm not leavin' you behind. If there's gonna be someone makin' their way to the car it's gonna be you."

"You all are a group full of idiots. It's a miracle you've survived this long." Reagan hissed more from the pain than that of her own consciousness. Rick grabbed onto her shoulder tightly causing her to look up at him through her veil of blonde bangs,

"Get to the car as fast as you can and get it runnin'... I'll be right behind you."

"No you won't..." She shook her head, "No one ever says that and makes it out. Don't be a hero."

"I'm not." Rick argued back, his blue eyes staring hard, "I'm just tryin' to return the favor..." He noted that it had been twice since Reagan had saved his life and he desperately needed to pay her back somehow. He wasn't going to be the cause of her death; it just wouldn't be right with that blood on his hands.

The gunfire suddenly stopped and the two stared at each other uncertainly for a moment before breaking contact, looking around for any sign of enemy movement. Slowly, their heads moved over the side of the truck, trying to find at least some form of the militia men. All they saw were Walkers trying to decide which side of the street to investigate for food, not knowing where exactly the living human beings were hiding. Reagan narrowed her eyes, knowing all too well that it was too quiet in their situation. The men had to have been changing strategy in order to kill her and Rick and take whatever supplies or weapons they had. Shooting from across the street was getting old. Reagan's foot throbbed uncontrollably and the discomfort of its aching was getting almost unbearable. She didn't know exactly what the damage was to her limb underneath the boot, but it couldn't have been pretty. Her fingers gripped tightly around the handle of her pistol, looking over at Rick as his face twisted into thought on how to get out of the death trap.

A surge of angst tore through Reagan as she saw one of the men jumped out from behind the alleyway, only feet away from the two. She grabbed Rick by the jacket and shoved him out of the way, "Move!" Her voice demanded as she raised her silenced pistol and aimed it at the perpetrator. His trigger finger was faster than hers and Regan's chest buckled out from under her, her body falling to the ground with a muted thud.

"No!" Rick saw Reagan cough up blood and turned quickly, sliding out his trusty python from the holster on his belt. The man's rifle barrel pointed at Rick to take him down next, but in a madly exploding bellow, Rick's pistol exterminated the man. Rick abruptly turned, sliding over Reagan and staring down at the thick gunshot that had pierced her chest, seeing her eyes red with strain and shock. Rick dropped his head as a mass of gunfire took out the windows above them, the two still hiding behind the truck as safely as possible.

"Molo...tov." Reagan choked and Rick looked back down at her, Reagan squeezing her eyes shut, "Molotov... throw a Molotov!" Rick breathed heavily and pulled her softly to her side, unzipping the backpack behind her and rummaging around before he felt a cold bottle. "Kill those fuckers..."

Rick yanked a lighter from his jacket pocket and flicked the ignition, the wick only sparking. "Come on, come on!" Rick pleaded as he frantically shoved his thumb down on the ignition for the lame sparks to turn into bright flames. Miraculously, it finally ignited and he frantically set the flame on the dirty, alcohol soaked cloth sticking out of the bottles lips. As the rag lit on fire, Rick gripped the bottle of vodka tightly in his hand and looked through the broken window of the truck, seeing the three men leaning over the hoods of a couple cars. One took Rick in his sights and the gun fired at Rick's head, barely missing him by inches and he hid back behind the heavy truck. Taking a couple deep breaths and stealing a glance at Reagan as she tried to lean up off the ground, Rick jumped up and tossed the Molotov as hard as he could across the street.

The bottle exploded against the building, igniting into a massive, destructive ball of flame. He heard the frantic cries of one individual enemy and watched as he ran around from behind the car, his entire body lit on fire. Taking the small chance given to him, Rick jumped over Reagan and jiggled the door handle of a shop behind him, growling and slamming his hand against it as it was locked. He had to get Reagan to safety and get some safer cover to ensure no more enemies came popping out of nowhere. Rick jumped back and slammed his boot into the door, the locks breaking the frame and the door swinging inside violently, ramming into the wall behind it. He got on one knee and grabbed Reagan's arm, tossing it over his shoulder and pulling her up. She hissed and gasped from being moved but Rick ignored it, knowing it was the only way for her to possibly survive. Not forgetting her scythe, he grabbed it and tossed the strap on his shoulder, pulling her through the door and kicking it shut with one foot.

As he took a look around the shop, it just so happened to be a bar. His eyes desperately searched for some type of cover, knowing that the only way they could find refuge was behind the bar himself. He helped Reagan walked and she clambered along with him awkwardly, trying to stay conscious from the unbelievable pain that took over her entire self. Her feet struggled to walk along with him as he pulled her behind the bar, seeing that the bar was rather small and feeble, "Shit..." He rolled her arm off from around his neck and set her down softly, looking over the bar once he heard commanding shouts from the men outside. Frantically, he searched for some type of other refuge,

"There..." He looked to Reagan and her shaky hand pointed over towards the corner. Rick followed her finger's trajectory and looked over to the corner of the bar, seeing an iron handle on the floor. He looked back to her and her lips drew in a small, bloody smile, "You need to start using your eyes better..."

Rick immediately went to the corner, yanking up the handle of the floor and put the back of his hand against his mouth as dust exploded into the air. A cold draft wafted up from the room below, that room being a rather large cellar. Rick pulled out the flashlight that sat in a pocket on the inside of his jacket, clicking it on and looking down into the cellar. A Walker stood at the end of the stairs leading down into the cold room, its head turning once its nose picked up Rick's scent. With a snarl, it gasped and turned around, tripping on the first step of the wooden case. Rick slid a leg down onto the staircase, his hand reaching for his knife in his pants pocket. He flipped the switchblade out of its case and gripped it tightly in his hand, reaching his leg out and kicking the Walker in the head. He watched it stumble back to the ground and continued down the steps to finish what he started. As the Walker tried to recover, Rick rammed the blade into the Walkers head and heard its last snarl of life before he put it out of its misery.

Reagan's gold eyes opened as she heard Rick's boots making way back up to the top floor, seeing him appearing before her. Her hand pressed against the bullet hole in her clothing, trying to muffle the blood from escaping her arteries. Rick walked past her and his footsteps faded towards the back of the bar, Regan's eyebrows knitting upon hearing a door open. Rick had opened the back door in hopes that the men would follow their false trail and look for them elsewhere. Reagan heard his footsteps returning to her, knowing he wasn't too much of a coward to leave her behind. Rick grabbed her arm and Reagan tried to lift herself, squeezing her eyes shut and gritting her teeth as she finally got to her only good foot. The two slowly made their way down the steps, Rick shutting the door above them as tightly as he could, hoping the men wouldn't notice the cellar door in the corner of the bar. Reagan eyed the down Walker as her boots connected with the cold, dirt ground of the cellar, Rick leading her towards the back under a window half encased with snow. Reagan sighed with relief upon sitting down and leaning against the cool wall behind her, her eyes closing in slight bliss.

"Where'd you get shot?" She felt Rick moved her bloody hand to try and observe the wound. Reagan's tired eyes opened and stared at his face,

"Right above the heart..." Her voice was low and she tried to look down at the wound with a smile, grunting to herself, "I forgot what it feels like to get shot... hurts like a bitch."

"What about your ankle?" Rick moved back down to her boot and began to untie it. Reagan pulled her foot away from him,

"Don't worry about it." Rick's eyes slowly fell back upon her and her condition, his eyes closing and his fingers digging into them as they rubbed his lids softly,

"Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?" She asked, pressing her hand back against the bullet hole,

"Risk your life to save me?" Rick's eyes narrowed as he opened them, staring hard at her, "You put yourself in harm's way to do so. You call me an idiot... stupid for how I do things. Why did you save a fool?" Reagan scoffed with a soft smile, rolling her head to the side and closing her tired eyes,

"Your wife... she told me to keep you safe." Reagan opened her eyes to see a slightly disturbed expression of his face, almost surprised to hear it. A hard roll of grief rolled down Rick's throat and Reagan squeezed her eyes shut, arching her back as the wound bit at her. Her head dipped in front of her, some of her blonde hair cradling around her face, "I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night it I let you take a hit. You may be stupid... but at least you're decent."

Rick's ears picked up the sound of an old tune song chiming in an echo throughout the cellar. It almost spooked him and he had his pistol ready to shoot whatever it was. But as he looked, he stood up, his eyes narrowing in suspicion at the item that sat on one of the stairs. He walked up a couple of the stairs and stopped, tilting his head and reaching down to pick up the old shaggy object. It was a teddy bear, no bigger than his hand, and the wind-up key in its back turned slowly as the chiming song continued. The soft fur of the bear's skin caressed his cold hand, the bear being oddly warm and even a few blood stains plagued its coat.

"That's mine..." Reagan said softly from behind, Rick turning halfway to face her. Reagan's solemn expression stared at the teddy bear in his hand and he looked back down at it, walking slowly back towards her. As he approached, she shakily extended her hand out to him and he softly placed the teddy bear in her palm, her hand instantly dropping to her lap from tiredness. Her fingers supported the soft, chiming bear, "It must've fallen out of my back pocket."

"Why do you have that?" Rick asked a bit hesitantly, his legs dropping him to one knee curiously, "What's it for?" Rick saw a spark in her eye; but it wasn't a happy spark, but a sad one. The song from the teddy bear slowly ended, a few more notes tagging their ears and finally fading to quietness. Regan's lips drew into a thin line, her eyes continuing to stare at the teddy bear lazily clasped in her fingers,

"It was my son's..." Rick swore he felt a needle shoot straight through his chest at the sound of the word. He didn't know how she could smile in that moment as one formed on her lips, "I guess this is another time... to share that story I said I would."

"You don't have to." Rick shook his head, stealing a glance at the teddy bear in her hands, "Save your strength for when we leave her."

"No." Reagan breathed, looking up at him, "This might be my only chance left." Reagan tried to press her back up against the wall harder, feeling a wave of depression hitting her like the bullet had in her chest. Her head tilted slightly, "His name was Corbin... he would've been nine years old, just about Carl's age. During my years of being homeless and drug ridden... I was lost for a long time. But after I turned twenty two, I found out I was pregnant. Of course, I didn't know what to do, but eventually, I did was I thought was right. As much as I could, I went into a shelter and cleaned myself up; rehabbed myself of all the drugs and alcohol." She shifted to a more uncomfortable position, whatever that could have been as she became even more uncomfortable as before, "I got him this teddy bear when he was born and I would sing him the lullaby that went along with the song the bear gave. I don't know... I had Corbin for about a week before CPS came and whisked him away from me. Bunch of assholes. I fought the courts, but of course, with my record and history of heavy drug use, I lost. But I complied with them, kept clean and even went to nursing school to become an RN so I could help people. Finally got my own apartment, visited him at the foster home as much as I could..."

Rick noticed a slight change in her demeanor and a glint in her eye ripped at his core. She sucked up whatever tears she could to keep them from falling off her cheeks, "But when the breakout happened... I didn't know what to do. I rushed over to the house where he was being fostered and the door was locked, so I broke in. I called for him, over and over again, and when I turned the corner-" Reagan hesitated and closed her eyes, letting out a shallow breath as the memory consumed her. She shook her head, "They were eating him. The foster parents... I couldn't anymore. I've always wanted to beat their heads in before, but then I actually got to do it. There was so much blood, so much of it everywhere... I went crazy; all I saw was red." Reagan couldn't help but smile at the memory of destroying the foster parents until they were dust, "I sat there for hours staring at my son, laying on the floor, guts everywhere... eventually he turned." Rick stared at her, not knowing what to say as he was almost breathless. A scenario formed in his mind, seeing Carl in that state. He would go absolutely insane.

Never did he think he would ever see tears stroll casually down the cheeks of someone like Reagan. But she was vulnerable, wounded, and out of her zone. Rick pressed his fingers together, rubbing the balls of each other in them anxiously, "I'm sorry... that happened to you."

"You should go."

"What?" Rick asked and Regan opened her eyes to look at him, trying to take a deep breath,

"Leave. Go back to your group- your family. They need you." Reagan looked down at her wound, pulling her hand back and taking notice to the unstoppable, steady blood flow, "I don't have much time left. I thought this wound wasn't much... but I'm losing too much blood. The bullet must have hit an artery."

"I'm not leavin' you behind. I won't have any of it." Rick shook his head, planting his feet steadily to the ground, "Not after what you did for me. You put your life on the line."

"Don't act all macho." Reagan scoffed, "You have people that depend on you back at the house. You have a wife and a son that need you. Go back to them."

"I won't." Rick leaned forward and put a hand on her shoulder, "They all depend on you just as much as me... you... you're one of us now."

"It's only a matter of time before I pass out... I'm starting to get there..." Reagan rolled her head and her sticky blonde hair stuck to her cheeks, "You won't be able to carry my dead weight back to the car, on top of trying to avoid all those men and their guns... there's no way."

"I'll find a way." Rick stood up and looked around the cellar, "You're not getting' rid of me that easily."

Rick's eyes scanned the cellar, looking for any way to get out. The window was too small for them to fit through and the only exit seemed to be the one they entered through. But with it being a cellar, there was always a second, topside exit as well. Rick moved towards the walls, rubbing his hand across the dirty brick in trying to find a possible secret exit. But as he moved towards the furthest wall from Reagan, he noticed a few two-by-fours nailed up against a door. He had found it. Grabbing a crowbar from the corner, he shoved it under a wooden platform and yanked, hearing the squealing sound of the rusted nails being pried from the door. Rick pried it off with his hands and repeated the process with the second, tossing them behind him and ignoring the loudness they both made upon hitting the hard floor.

Rick stepped up the small platform of stairs and jiggled the two doors, hearing them creaking against the influence of his hands. Upon feeling them barely budge, Rick stepped up on the top step and rammed his shoulder against the doors. He growled and ignored the sore pain brewing in his back and shoved his shoulder as hard as he could into the door, feeling it buckle under his force. With one last heave, the two doors busted open and snow poured down on top of Rick, Rick stepping back down the steps and brushing it off his jacket. Rick could feel the freezing snow melting against his hot back, shivering after it crawled down his back. "All we have to do is-"

He turned to see Reagan's head hanging over her lap, her hair masking her face. Rick rushed up to her and knelt down, tilting her head back up and smacking her cheek lightly, "Reagan... come on, stay with me." Her eyes barely opened and she didn't protest against him. Rick knew he didn't have much time before she would completely pass out, "You just have to walk a little further."

"So persistent..." She whispered and Rick tossed the strap of her scythe over his head. He then grabbed her arm and pulled it around his neck, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to her feet. She stumbled for a moment and regained her awkward posture, Rick turning towards the doors and looking up into the snowy light above them.

"Come on... we're goin' home."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Where did all my reviewers go? :(**

It was beginning to get darker under the winter weather.

A light snow descended upon the ground and Daryl stared up at the sky, seeing an ominous looking cloud upon the horizon closing in on them. His eyes narrowed and he looked back down to his level, turning when he heard the four-wheeler getting closer. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his heavy jacket as they began to get cold, following the trail that was already laid out from their constant travel. Daryl looked up, his brown hair flickering against a cold wind that decided to course itself through the compound. T-Dog passed by him on the four-wheeler, his weary eyes looking behind him as the machine pulled the heavy log through the snow. Glenn sat on the back and nodded at Daryl as they passed by, Daryl scoffing in his head at the young Asian man. Daryl at least had the sense to walk all the way back with Carl in tow; he wanted to keep up his fit level.

"Come on. We don't wanna get caught up in that storm that's comin'." Daryl looked back over his shoulder at Carl, who tried to keep up with Daryl the best he could. Carl nodded,

"Alright." Carl tossed a glance up at the sky, seeing the dark cloud looming on the horizon and only getting closer by the minute. Jumping with step, he jogged up to Daryl and eyed the crossbow on his back, stumbling along through the deep snow. Carl then looked forward, seeing the large wall surrounding the house just through a small thicket of trees. On top of stepping through the deep powder, Carl's short legs now had to step over logs, through bushes, and keep his entire body upright from tripping.

The two slid through the gate of the back of the wall, Daryl eyeing Glenn and T-Dog as they untied the log in front of the shed. His eyes made sure the gate was closed, and upon seeing it secure, he turned back to the task at hand. Stepping up next to the others, Daryl rested his boot on one of the many logs they towed in and glared down at them, "This should be enough for a while."

"You sure? We can still go get a few more. I saw a couple good ones out there." T-Dog asked, gripping the chainsaw in his hand and staring over at Daryl. Daryl nodded back at him,

"Yeah. We'll wait till tomorrow or somethin'... them clouds up there don't look too promisin'." Daryl nodded up towards the sky and Glenn and T-Dog quickly took notice to them, not noticing them before, "Let's just finish up what we already cut and get it into the shed."

"Sounds good to me... I'm so hungry." Glenn wiped his gloved hand across his forehead tiredly. The four had been working for a few hours nonstop on gathering wood and only managing to break apart two smaller trees for wood. Glenn leaned down and began grabbing armfuls of wood, as well as T-Dog, moving into the shed and stacking them accordingly.

Daryl grabbed the double headed axe and took to the small, uncut pile left next to the stack of wood where Glenn and T-Dog were gathering. He grabbed a large round of wood and placed it on another, taking a deep breath and stepping back. Gripping the axe handle with his hands, he reached the axe over his shoulder and stared at the point in which it would hit. With an abrasive force, his thick arms swung the axe down and smashed it into the wood. It barely split through and Daryl wiggled the head of the axe out, readying to do it all over again. He quickly repeated the process and swung with nothing but bluntness, the axe cracking the wood in two and watching it drop off the round, wood foundation.

Carl stood a bit uncomfortably on the sidelines, watching Daryl swing with manliness at the wood and splitting it without a hitch. He kicked his foot into the snow, watching the powder raise up into the air upon feeling his force. The young man then looked up at the sky, feeling the cold kissed of the light snow on his red cheeks. He could see it starting to get a bit heavier and the larger snowflakes cling to the edge of his sheriff's hat. "Hey Carl..." Carl was quickly knocked from his thoughts and looked to Daryl, seeing his chest heaving with breaths in slight fatigue at swinging down at the wood,

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you take some of this wood and start stackin' it inside." Daryl then reached into his back pocket and tossed Carl an item, Carl snatching it swiftly, "Take that and start a fire for everyone. Since we're runnin' low on fuel for the generators right now, and your old man ain't back yet with some more, you should get the house nice and warm for tonight. Looks like it's gonna storm pretty good tonight."

"Alright, I will!" Carl said with confidence as he gripped Daryl's silver zippo tightly in his hand. Carl then tucked the lighter in his jacket pocket and reached down, grabbing up some wood in his arms and retreating towards the house.

"Where do you think those two are? It's getting kind of dark." Glenn asked once Carl was clear of his voices range, placing his hands on his hips and looking towards the gate. T-Dog looked over at him,

"The snow's pretty thick out there. You gotta imagine Rick's gonna drive slow to avoid crashin' or gettin' stuck." T-Dog gathered up some more wood to stack in the shed, eyeing Glenn as he walked by. Glenn nodded and looked back at him as he passed,

"Yeah... but they left pretty early this morning. You don't think like... something happened, do you?"

"Could be a number of things..." Daryl voiced and Glenn turned his head to look at the rugged countryman. Daryl's blue eyes flickered, "Rick ain't dumb and neither is that girl he's with. She seems smart enough to lead him in the right direction... she saved all our asses at once, right?"

"But she's not bulletproof." T-Dog walked back up and shook his head, "Reagan can be as badass as she wants but that doesn't mean she's perfect."

"I wasn't sayin' she was." Daryl's raspy voice replied to his black counterpart, "Things can happen, will happen, and we can't do nothin' to stop it. Worryin' bout the matter ain't gonna help us none."

"Well... what do we do if they don't come back tonight?" Glenn crossed his arms, asking the question that the other two were also thinking about. Daryl shrugged his shoulders and shook his head,

"Can't exactly go chasin' our tails in the dark."

"We don't even know where they went." T-Dog sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "Would've done us a lot better if they told us which town they were goin' to."

"If they ain't back by tomorrow afternoon, we'll try to go out and look for 'em. But until now, we better batten down the hatches and pray that storm that's comin' don't keep on its fury throughout tomorrow. It'd be a bad idea to try and drive through that."

"Let's hope so. This damn snow isn't makin' our lives any easier." T-Dog grunted and the three turned once they heard the back door to the house open. Carl bounced down the steps and walked towards them to retrieve more wood for the house. Daryl turned back to them,

"Try not to talk bout his dad missin' round him. Let's just get the rest of whatever wood that's out here into the house. We're gonna need it." Daryl reached down and began to pick up a few pieces of wood, cradling them in his long arms. He watched the others mimic his movements and wheeled around on the heel of his boots, walking towards the back door and stepping up the steps to the porch. The door opened for him and Maggie stood on the other side, Daryl nodding in thanks to her as he stepped into the warmth.

The warm air tried to break through Daryl's heavy jacket but only managing to wipe the coldness off his face. Daryl knelt down and tossed the wood on the stack that already sat against the wall, his face turning to the heat of a small fire that Carl seemed to start. Daryl noticed his lighter sat on the brick work around the fireplace and he grabbed it, shoving the warm metal back into his pants pocket. He stood up once the back door opened again and saw the other three stepping in to make their way towards his area.

"Any sign of Rick and Reagan?" Daryl turned to Hershel's voice and stared at his piercing blue eyes under the thick set of white eyebrows. Daryl shook his head,

"No... not yet."

"It's getting dark... they should've been back by now." Lori said from behind the counter of the open kitchen, staring at Daryl. He could see the worry beginning to brew in her big doe eyes, "What if something happened?"

Daryl sighed to himself as he knew he would have to mediate the same conversation all over again. But as he opened his mouth to speak, his keen ears picked up the familiar sound of a car. Everyone seemed to hear it as well and froze, trying to listen to the noise outside. The faint sound of a honking horn blared just outside, Daryl making a beeline towards the garage door and stepped back outside. Glenn, T-Dog, and Hershel were quick behind him as they all saw the headlights of the Hyundai flashing at them. The noisy sound of the horn was slightly alarming, but Rick needed to do it to get their attention. Daryl and T-Dog rushed over towards the rope tied to the gate and they hauled the heavy gate upwards, the SUV immediately speeding through the small opening. Daryl and T-Dog dropped the gate and Daryl's eyes narrowed when he saw the SUV slide to an abrupt stop right next to the garage. As he walked forward, the vehicle shut off and the driver's side door was shoved open, Rick jumping out,

"We though you two weren't gonna make it!" T-Dog called with a smile, but soon dropped it as he saw Rick ignore him and rush around to the passenger's side of the vehicle. Daryl and T-Dog exchanged briefly curious eye contact and jogged back around the side of the Hyundai, watching Rick tear open the passenger's side door.

"Rick, what're you-" Glenn's words stopped short and his eyes widened upon the sight he witnessed.

"Open the door!" Rick demanded with hysteria, "Open the door!"

Rick pulled Reagan's unconscious, bloody body out of the vehicle and carried her into the garage. Her bloody cloak drug against the ground, leaving a light blood trail staining the concrete as Rick made his way towards the door. No one had words to speak and Hershel was quick to jump back through the door to hold it open for Rick just as he made it to the steps. Rick swiveled sideways to avoid bumping Reagan's fragile body on the door frame, his eyes staring down at the bullet hole that slowly had spit up all the blood on her. Stray gasps came from the household as they stepped in,

"What happened!?" Carol asked with shock and stepped out of Rick's way. Rick rushed past her towards the closet bedroom, the group quick behind him and Hershel by his side. Hershel's jacket was instantly tossed to the ground and his fingers rolled the sleeves up on his arms. Rick burst through the door and Lori was quick to pull the heavy sheets off the bed, Rick lying the blonde headed woman down softly.

"She was shot." Rick stepped back and panted, his finger pointing at the masked bullet hole under all the black fabric, "In the chest."

"How long ago?" Hershel pulled back the fabric, his fingers already bloody from touching her clothes, "Maggie! Get me my bag!" He called to his daughter and Maggie disappeared from the scene to retrieve her father's medical bag. Hershel then looked back up to Rick, "How long ago did she receive this wound!?"

"Almost an hour ago I... I don't know." Rick breathed, his voice clearly tired and shaken, "She was shot." Lori put a hand on his shoulder,

"Honey... take a deep breath. You should go get cleaned up..." Lori took a look at his dirty appearance, observing his bloody attire, "You've got blood all over you."

"I..."

"We'll take care of her." Lori nodded and looked over at everyone crowding the doorway, "You should all head back to the living room so we can take care of this."

"We'll update you as soon as we can." Hershel said over his shoulder just as Maggie returned with his bag of medical supplies. Carol began to push everyone out,

"Come on everyone. I'll go make us all some dinner." Carol bribed and hurried everyone away, Lori placing her hand on Rick's cheek, standing in front of him to block his gaze from Reagan,

"Rick... go. There's nothing you can do right now." Rick only stared into his wife's blue eyes, their gazes locking onto each other's for a few moments. Finally, Rick nodded and pulled himself from Lori's hand, turning and shutting the door behind him as he left the room.

"She's lost a lot of blood." Maggie said as she and Beth took the layers of clothing from Hershel as he peeled them off Reagan's body.

"I'll go put them in the bathroom for washin'." Beth volunteered and waded up all the clothes in her hands, careful not to get any blood on her own. Lori opened the door for Beth and closed it behind the young girl, keeping a close eye on the wound staring back at her.

Finally, Hershel got down to her grey t-shirt and his lips drew into a thin line under his thick beard. The shirt suffered the most of the bloods reign, and without bothering to try to get it off her, Hershel ripped the thin fabric and rested the shambles next to her. Hershel eyed the scar on her right sight from the shotgun blast she told them about and then moved to the wound that almost matched the other side. "A high caliber bullet." Hershel said as he stared at the large bullet hole in her chest, seeing the blood already trying to clot around the wound, "It's a wonder how it didn't pierce her heart."

"What should we do?" Maggie asked her older father, hearing the door open and seeing her little sister reentering the room. Hershel shook his head and directed his daughters,

"Grab her arm, both of you, and lift her up some." Maggie and Beth took Reagan's arm, careful not to cause any more damage. The two lifted Reagan softly and Hershel ducked down, taking a look at her back, "The bullet went completely through... that's somewhat good." Maggie and Beth let Reagan back down and Hershel moved Reagan's bra strap down her shoulder to move it out of the way, "I'm gonna try to find the blood vessel that's been damaged. I'll have to work quickly to avoid any more bloodshed if I'm gonna save her life. It's a miracle she's survived this long."

"I'll go get you some warm water and a cloth." Lori nodded at him and Hershel turned back to Reagan, grabbing his bag and pulling out a rolled up cloth of medical equipment they had found in an ambulance a while back.

Lori shut the door behind her and noticed a few eyes were on her, wanting to know everything about the situation. Lori walked further into the room, letting out a sigh and shaking her head, "It's not looking good... she's lost a lot of blood. But Hershel is going to do the best he can to save her."

"What happened? Do you know?" Glenn asked a bit concerned about Reagan. She may have been somewhat of a stranger to them, but she was still part of the group.

"She was shot." Rick said from across the room as he reentered the house through the garage door. Everyone turned to see bags hanging from his shoulders and hands as he set down Reagan's scythe against the wall. Rick dropped a few bags to the ground, except Reagan's, "Men raided the town we were in and they attacked us. They shot her in cold blood."

"Is there anything we can do?" Carol asked and Lori shook her head at the woman,

"Just sit back and wait for the outcome. The only person that can help her now is Hershel." Lori noticed Rick walked past her towards the back of the room, setting the backpack down on a small table in the corner. Lori was quick to pursue after him, seeing his shoulders tight and tense, "Are you alright?" She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder and observing the bruises already forming on his face. He nodded,

"I'm fine." He said plainly and opened the backpack, pulling out pill bottles upon pill bottles. Lori swallowed a hard lump,

"You're acting pretty upset about the situation." Lori knitted her eyebrows and Rick lifted his head with a huff, staring into his wife's eyes,

"She saved my life." Rick stared at her hard and Lori's jaw tightened sternly, "Two men jumped me, beat me down, and pointed my own gun at my head. Reagan came... killed both of them without hesitation. We got back on the main street to get back to the car but there were more men. One of them jumped out from behind a car and Reagan shoved me out of the way to kill him, but he had the quicker trigger finger. She saved my life twice in one day; put her own life on the line to make sure I made it back to you-to everyone. So excuse me if I seem a _little_ upset."

"I'm sorry it's just..." Lori shook her head, "Never mind. I'm just glad you two made it back somewhat alright."

"Yeah, well that might not be the case for her." Rick grabbed up various bottles of antibiotics and pain medications in his arms, "If she dies... it'll be on my hands because I couldn't take care of myself." With that he turned around and disappeared behind the door where Hershel was working. Lori sighed to herself and rubbed her head, staring down at the rest of the pill bottles sitting on the table. She picked up the large bottle and stared at the label with grief.

_Prenatal Vitamins_.

"God, help her."

Rick walked in, relieved to see that Hershel had somewhat covered up her body to make. With the pills bottles still in his arms, he unleashed them on a desk, Maggie taking a look at them as they fell against the hardwood furniture. She grabbed a few and looked at the labels, only choosing the ones that she knew would work best in the situation. Rick saw Hershel's hands covered in blood, Hershel cutting away the dead skin around the wound with a pair of medical scissors. Rick could feel a twinge of soreness in his own shoulder at the sight of it, seeing it even worse than he expected it to be.

"She's doin' fine." Maggie said as she sat down at the side of the bed, pulling a few pills from the bottles and cupping them in her hands, "Her breathin's a bit shallow, though."

"It's what's expected..." Hershel kept his eyes on the fatal task in front of him. Beth dapped away the stray blood from the cut skin, trying to keep her father's workspace as clean as possible.

"Did you take a look at her ankle yet?" Rick's eyes trailed down to the boot, seeing it cut up and bloody. Hershel glanced at it,

"She's got another wound?"

"I don't know what it was from... but she was limping on it pretty badly. She could barely put weight on it."

"I'll take a look at it." Maggie volunteered and moved towards the bottom of the bed, sitting down next to her legs. Rick watched with anticipation as Maggie pulled the large shoelaces apart, tossing the broken pieces on the floor from the unknown, pierced entry points in the boot. Finally, she loosened it as much as she could and twisted it off, grunting when it refused, "Her ankles pretty swollen... it's hard to get off!"

As the boot slipped off, it bounced against the hardwood floors and Maggie stared at the lesions in the blood sock, wondering what could have caused it. Her fingers grabbed the highest edge of the sock and she pulled it off Reagan's foot, her eyebrows knitting upon the sight of it. Rick stared hard at a few lacerations the bore on Reagan's skin, dry blood staining her flesh, and the swollenness her muscles were experiencing underneath. Maggie looked back at Beth, "Toss me a rag right there."

The door opened and Lori stepped through, a large bowl in her hand. She stopped upon seeing the bloody sight before her on both sides of Reagan, glancing back and forth from her chest to her foot. "She sure got the worse of it, didn't she?" Lori set the bowl of water down next to Maggie, seeing that Hershel had already started stitching up the bullet wound. Maggie dipped the rag into the water and rung a bit of it out, putting it around Reagan's ankle and wiping softly. Both Lori and Rick cringed at the sight, Lori having to look away as flaps of skin from the laceration flipped up every time Maggie passed it with the rag.

Almost two hours had passed.

Hershel wiped his hands with a rag and stood up, staring at his not-too-shabby work. With his hands still a bit bloody, he looked at his two daughters as they gave Reagan a bed-bath and cleaned up after him. With a grieved sigh, he turned towards the door and pulled it open, stepping out to smell a rather delightful scent wafting into the air. After the couple hours it took to stabilize Reagan, Carol had cooked up a large meal for them all, with the help of Lori after she left the recovery room. He stepped out further, seeing everyone crowded at the table, speaking in hushed tones and eating humbly amongst each other. Hershel's lips drew into a thin line, once again, under the thicket of white whiskers crowding his face.

Rick was the first to stand up, followed by Lori, and as they did, all eyes turned to the oldest member of their ground. Hershel stopped and sighed, his bloody rag still clasped in his hands, "She's stable for now. I did what I had the power to do. Right now, it's up to her whether or not she'll survive." Maggie and Beth weren't far behind their father as they left the room with bloody, dirty rags in their hands and the large bowl of dirty water. They tossed everything in the sink and turned on the water, washing their hands of all the blood.

"I put whatever was left of the fuel in the generators. It should last us a couple days." Lori sat back down as Rick spoke around them, "Once it's used up, I'll take Daryl and T-Dog with me to find more."

"But those men, they're still out there."

"Reagan killed most of them..." Rick voiced and a slight tone of relief went through everyone, "They shouldn't bother us much. Besides, I won't go back to the town we went to... it's too much of a risk."

"When do you wanna go?" Daryl asked, staring hard at the leader of the group. Rick stood silent for a few moments, contemplating,

"Two days. We'll prepare for it, this time, and we'll take plenty of guns and ammo with us."

**.:o:.**

So much pain.

'_But you're not supposed to experience pain when you're dead.'_

Reagan could feel consciousness brewing in her head, her fingers twitching as her nerves lit up movement in her body. The soft material under her head brushed up against her cheek as her head rolled to the side, her eyelids opening to view her surroundings. But all she saw was a blur. Some sort of light source made itself clear next to the bed, Reagan's golden eyes trying to make it out once her vision became clearer. With a few rapid blinks of her eyes, they acclimated to their rather dark surroundings. A small lamp sat next to her on a dresser and she noticed it was a bit farther away than she first thought. Her head tossed to the other side and she quickly tried to figure out where she was, her eyes scanning the room. It was warm, it felt safe, and whatever bed she was in, it was soft. Finally, she came to realize that she was back home.

'_Rick was right.'_

Reagan gasped and her back arched once an unbearable wave of pain surged through her chest, her mouth gaping open as she desperately tried to take a breath. Her hand pressed against the wound she remembered she sustained, feeling the softness of gauze and bandages all around her. A rebellious twinge of soreness came from her ankle and a flash of her dire situation ran through her mind momentarily. Every word she spoke with Rick, every pain she felt as they made it back to the car, seeing nothing but trees passing by them as she slowly succumbed to unconsciousness in the car.

Her arm pressed against the bed, but pain bit back at her in protest to any movement at all. Reagan groaned and lied her head back against her pillow, squeezing her eyes shut and wishing it would all just stop. "You shouldn't be moving at all." Reagan's eyes popped open upon hearing a voice, turning her head and noticing the door was open. As the figure stepped further into the room, the light illuminated their face and Reagan found herself staring into Lori's blue eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." Reagan's voice was raspy and she heard a pill bottle being rattled to its side. Lori sat down next to Reagan with a glass of water, cupping a few pills in her hands,

"Here... you should probably take some of these." Lori smiled softly, offering her both the items in her hands. Reagan weakly reached up and grabbed the pills first, popping them in her mouth and watching Lori lean towards her to help her drink. Reagan growled and leaned her head up as much as she could, cursing to the pain as she ignored it. The water was delightful as it met with Reagan's tongue, washing away the dissolving bitterness of the pills in her mouth. Feeling refreshed, Reagan's head fell back against the pillow and the strain in her neck started to wash away with the pills.

"Hershel patched you up when you got here." Lori said and Reagan looked over at her, "It took him a couple hours, but he dressed the wounds you sustained."

"He a doctor or something?"

"No... a veterinarian." Lori laughed and Reagan scoffed with a smile,

"I'll have to give him my thanks when I see him." She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling the pills hitting the pit of her empty stomach. She was oddly comfortable, but the pain that riddled through her body every second was most likely caused by the fading work of whatever pills she was fed earlier on.

"Thank you..." Reagan opened her eyes and stared at Lori's face, seeing her eyes relieved. Reagan knitted her brow,

"For what?"

"Bringing Rick home... protecting him." Lori placed her hand on her stomach, "He told me everything you did. When I said keep an eye on him... I didn't mean take the bullet. I mean, it's nice that you did and Rick didn't get hit... but..."

"I get what you're sayin'." Reagan said, stopping Lori in her wording tracks. Reagan took a light sigh and stared up at the ceiling, "You don't have to thank me... whether or not you told me to keep an eye on Rick, I would've done it regardless."

"But why though?" Lori's face twisted into confusion and her eyes narrowed, "We're just strangers to you. People that you barely know... so why put your life on the line."

"Because..." Reagan found herself staring back at Lori, "I know what it feels like to lose someone... I don't want you, or your son Carl, to experience any of that." She grunted and clenched her eyes shut, shifting her weight from her left side to avoid the rolling pain, "You guys may be strangers... but you're good people. I don't see a whole lot of people like you anymore and it kinda sucks."

Lori stared at Reagan, seeing the sincerity in the bed-ridden woman's eyes. Reagan seemed a bit harsh in the first few days that they all stayed at the house, even a bit annoyed by them. But now, Lori could see Reagan's true nature, how caring and selfless she was when it came to protecting people. Lori stood up and smiled, setting the glass of water down on the nightstand, "If you need anything else... just holler. One of us will be outside to help."

"Thanks."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Happy Memorial Day weekend! Hope you guys have an awesome holiday ya'll be careful out there ;)**

Reagan stared up at the ceiling of the strange bedroom she was in, her golden eyes tired and still fatigued. Her pain medication slowly dwindled and her chest wound throbbed violently against her skin as if trying to break open her stitches. Her mouth gaped open as she took a deep breath, hissing and clenching her eyes shut from her lungs expanding under the damaged muscle. The muscles of her entire arm twitched as she lifted her good arm up and rested her palm over the bandaged damage of her body. The held breath in her chest slowly let out and a sudden numbness overtook her, dulling the pain momentarily. But like a fire sparked by gasoline, it was back and bit at her harder and harder each time it pulsed.

The doorknob turned with a rebellious squeak and she looked over to see Lori, Hershel, and Maggie entering the room. Reagan immediately took notice to the bottle of pain meds and antibiotics in Lori's hand, her mouth watering upon the sight and her body not being able to wait to get her welcomed high. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of a long object in Hershel's hand as he pulled it out from behind him to present it to her. Her golden eyes glanced up into Hershel's, "Glenn found this in a closet down the hallway... thought you might be interest since you're a bit..." Hershel chose his words wisely as he knew she had a temper, especially when it came to dressing her wounds, "Injured in your foot."

"A cane?" Reagan studied the old cane; its fine finish glistened in the light of the lamp that illuminated the room. Reagan really preferred the sunlight of day, but with the windows boarded up the lamp would have to make due. She watched as Hershel set it down on the edge of the bed,

"How are you feeling today?" Lori asked as she sat down in a chair and Reagan looked over at her, staring into her blue doe eyes. With a soft nod, Reagan shrugged her shoulders and regretted it with a hiss of annoying pain,

"Better... definitely better."

"I'm havin' some food prepared for you." Reagan next turned to Maggie and noticed a few towels were stacked in her arms, "Maybe we can get you up and walkin' today."

"Thank God." Reagan breathed and stared up at the ceiling, "I hate being in this god damn room. All I can smell is blood and rubbing alcohol."

"That's going to change." Lori smiled at Reagan's annoyance as she looked over at her, "We're hoping you'll be well enough to take a shower."

"I am." Reagan was quick to say and looked to Hershel upon feeling him sit down next to her. His set of bright blue eyes stared at her a bit apprehensive under his thick white eyebrows,

"I'm goin' to need to take a look at those wounds of yours, if you don't mind."

"I do." Reagan pouted at him, but ultimately sighed, "But I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"I'll make it real quick." Hershel nodded in reply, "I promise."

"Yeah... that's what you've said the last four times. It doesn't really help much with the pain." Reagan groaned and she watched Lori and Maggie man both sides of her bed. She didn't mean to be such a bitch to Hershel, he was incredibly nice and good at what he did, but with all the pain and agony she was experiencing, they didn't expect anything less from her.

Reagan took a deep breath as she felt Maggie and Lori tuck their hands under her back, Reagan clenching the muscles in her abdomen as she lifted herself up. With the help of her good arm, Reagan did her best to ignore the surging pain through her chest, her breath halting in her throat every few seconds at how staggering the soreness was. Finally, she felt herself upright and she kicked her legs over the side of the bed. She was utterly surprised that her ankle and shin weren't too badly injured; she thought for sure the serrated bear trap did a lot more damage by what she could see. But still, walking on it with her full weight was not an option at that time.

Lori undid the buttons on the front of Reagan's shirt and pulled away the flaps, exposing her dressed chest wound. Reagan's tangled blonde hair cradled her face as she turned, watching and feeling Hershel's fingers begin to pull away medical tape. Closing her eyes and taking another deep breath, she scrunched her nose and gritted her teeth as the heavily adhesive tape peeled away on her skin. Hershel yanked it and it tore off, Reagan letting out her held breath in one fell swoop, grunting in her throat.

Only seven more to go.

The medical tape was definitely the worst part of being medically undressed in every way. The soft peach fuzz of Reagan's skin had been pried away along with the tape, not to mention all the irritated skin around her wound had been even more disturbed. A few stray curses directed at Hershel escaped her lips angrily, but Hershel only ignored her as he knew it was the pain talking. Maggie's mouth drew into a thin line upon hearing the profanities tossed at her older father, but she did best to bite her tongue. Once Hershel was done with both the entry and exit points of her bullet wounds, she barely felt the soft cotton of the gauze being pulled off the stitching of her wound. Reagan flinched upon feeling the annoying twinges from the stiches being disturbed by Hershel's fingers, his hand grazing over the wound as softly as possible.

The entry and exit points were black and blue and closer to the wound sat angry, irritated red skin. Hershel sighed and leaned away from the wound, looking at Reagan as she tried to examine her own wound, "Looks like they're healin' up alright. I give you about a month's recovery and you should be just fine."

"Give me two weeks I'll be fully functional." Reagan was so sure of herself it caused Hershel's lips to tug into a smile under his growing beard,

"You keep tellin' yourself that."

"You did a good job, Hershel." Lori nodded while eyeing the wounds. Even though they looked good and healing to Hershel, they still looked ragged in her eyes.

"I'll leave you three be..." Hershel got to his feet slowly and moved past Maggie, eyeing his older daughter, "Glenn and T-Dog have prepared the generators with the rest of the fuel we have. I'll have them turned on so you can tend to your shower time." With that, Hershel disappeared behind the door quietly.

"Alright... let's get you out of these clothes." Lori moved the sheets off of Reagan and Maggie was quick by her side. Maggie helped Reagan extend the arm on the injured side of her chest, Reagan grunting from the damaged muscles being extended in pecks. Maggie pulled the shirt off her arm and Lori finished taking it off completely, tossing it on the bed. Reagan hooked her thumb in the waistband of her soft shorts, beginning to pull them off. Maggie and Lori helped Reagan to her feet, Reagan careful not to put too much pressure on her injured ankle. She felt her shorts slide down her long legs and she stepped out of them, now completely stripped to her undergarments.

Feeling a bit self-conscious under the eyes of the two women standing next to her, Reagan cleared her throat and looked at Lori. The pregnant woman smiled at her and Reagan looked down to her feet a bit shamefully, knowing exactly what the two were staring at. A few scars littered her body from the constant damage that had been inflicted on it over the past year, "Let's just say I'm known to get myself in trouble." Reagan finally broke through the uncomfortable silence, Maggie and Lori exchanging brief eye contact with each other in a bit of shame from staring so much.

Reagan hobbled to the bathroom with the help of Lori and Maggie, Lori opening the door for the three. Reagan leaned against Maggie as Lori stepped in, turning on the water and dipping her fingers under the faucet to gauge the temperature. The water ran cold for a couple minutes before finally the generators kicked on the water heater, Lori turning the knob to the water a couple notches down so that it wasn't too hot for Reagan. Lori wiped her hand on her pant leg as she stood up, "Alright... the water should be good."

"I can take it from here."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Maggie replied to the blonde leaning on her and Reagan stood upright,

"I don't have a problem taking clothes off... it's putting them on." Reagan looked into Maggie's green eyes, "I appreciate the hospitality... but I don't take too kindly to being pitied."

"We don't pity you." Lori shook her head and Reagan smiled,

"It'll help me better if I do things on my own. I can't always rely on everyone to do things for me. It'll make me lazy."

"Well... we'll be outside if you need anything." Lori nodded at Maggie and they both exited the bathroom, Maggie closing the door softly behind them.

Reagan felt the steam of the water rising into the room, warming her skin and somewhat calming her burning wounds. As she limped up to the sink, Reagan caught her reflection in the mirror and frowned upon seeing her demeanor. Dark rings formed around her eyes with tiredness and her skin was almost as pale as the snow outside. Dried blood, of whatever the girls didn't pick up with their rags, stained her neck and chest. But her dirty blonde hair was the worst of it all with all the blood causing it to clump together and knot up. Her lips parted as she let out a breath, wincing from a blunt swell of pain in her chest, almost knocking her off her feet. With a huff, she tried to regain her composure, her good leg tiring from bearing most of her weight on it. She sat down on the edge of the tub, hearing the darts of water from the shower slamming against the flooring in the tub. As quick as she could, she stripped out of her bra and underwear to enjoy the leisure of the warm water awaiting her.

**.:o:.**

Rick stood behind the black iron gate that protected the house in which he dwelled, noticing the colored figures slowly, slowly making their way towards him. His blue eyes stared hard and little soft snowflakes caught his eyelashes in the breeze careening through the air. He could feel their cold kisses managing to touch his skin through the growing scruff of his face, the melted wetness causing him to wipe whatever he could off. The swaying figures of the approaching Walkers fluctuated along with the limbs of the trees as the wind influenced them to dance along with it. But Rick, he was so sick of it, so tiredly sick of the ridiculous weather. It snowed nonstop for the past three days straight; it was relentless as it descended upon them ever since he returned.

Ever since he returned with the bloody and battered Reagan Blackwood.

Rick's hand slid over his chest as it stopped right above his heart, right exactly where Reagan had been shot in her body. He closed his eyes and sighed to himself, remembering the feel of his guns recoil after he shot down the militia man that attacked them. Reagan had been sleeping most of the days that had passed since her technical "_surgery_" Hershel had performed to suture her up. He didn't get his chance to thank her properly. The only people that managed to talk to her were Lori, Beth, and Maggie and that was mostly at night when she woke for her medications.

A low snarl managed to waft through the air and Rick's eyes darted to his left, seeing a Walker brushing up against the brick wall. He narrowed his eyes and his jaw tightened, watching it try to make its way awkwardly through the snow. Its fingers clung onto the bars of the heavy gate, rushing at the sight of Rick once it took in his sweet scent. The growls from its mouth became louder and more ravenous once it finally stood right in front of Rick, its arm reaching through the gate and grabbing at him. Rick watched its fingers claw at his face only inches away from him, his eyes glazing past them back to the Walker as it tried to squeeze its head through the thin gaps of the bar. Skin began to peel right off the bone as it wriggled its way through, Rick watching in disgust at the creature.

He grabbed the Walkers arm and rammed it backwards, snapping the bone and watching it slap back down against the Walkers body. The Walker let out a loud snarl in protest to Rick, its face seemingly turning into an irritated expression. Rick yanked out his knife and snapped it open, slowly stepping forward and staring the Walker in the eyes. The sharp click of its jaws snapping at him was the only thing he could hear at the moment, a few dry growls escaping its throat. Rick grinded his teeth while staring at the Walker, the blade of his knife tapping against his thick pants in anticipation. Finally, Rick reached his arm back and jabbed the sharp blade into the Walkers skull, hearing the protective brain bone break under the pressure. A low hiss rolled off its tongue for the last time and the Walkers body slowly slid down the rails of the gate in defeat, black blood seeping from its head.

Rick wiped his bloody blade on the back of his pants, his blue eyes continuing to stare at the dead Walker ruefully. "Rick!" He turned at the sound of his name, seeing Glenn waving for him from the depths of the garage. With one last look at the Walker he put out of its misery, he eyed the rest that were off in the distance and slowly turned back around to walk back to the house.

"What is it?" Rick finally took refuge from the lightly falling snow and stared at Glenn, who pointed at the Hyundai,

"We got everything ready."

"You got the guns and everything?" Rick asked and Glenn nodded,

"All the guns, extra food supplies, and blankets just in case we break down or something happens." T-Dog said as he tossed yet another bag into the back of the SUV. Rick nodded his head,

"Good. Where's Daryl?"

"Getting some of those Molotov's and bomb-things." Glenn looked over his shoulder as if trying to find Daryl trudging through the garage. Rick took a deep breath and placed a hand on his hip,

"Alright... as soon as Daryl gets done and we get whatever gas cans we have left loaded up we'll head out." His eyes went from Glenn to T-Dog, "If this snow wants to keep it up I wanna be back by dark. Don't wanna get caught in a storm." T-Dog and Glenn nodded in agreement and Rick pushed past them both as they made sure they had everything.

Rick opened the door and stepped in from the cold, eyeing the warm fire set in the open living room. It flickered tamely in the fireplace and watched as Rick moved across the room. He grabbed a backpack he had loaded a few hours prior, tossing the strap on his shoulder. Carl caught his eye and Rick stopped, seeing Carl walking up to him, "Dad..." Carl's voice was stern towards his father as he stopped. His equally blue eyes stared up at his father out from under the sheriffs hat propped on his head,

"What do you need?" Rick asked as he turned fully to face Carl. Carl stared at him a bit meek, but continued to eye Rick with determination,

"I want to go with you. You, Daryl, T-Dog, and Glenn." He nodded and Rick let out a sigh, his face in deep thought. But Rick already knew his answer as he shook his head,

"No. Not this time."

"But dad-"

"I said no." Rick said sternly, raising his eyebrows. Carl let out a disappointed sigh and Rick put his hand on Carl's shoulder, causing him to look back up at Rick, "I need you to stay here. Protect you mom and everyone else if something happens."

"I don't need to protect everyone. The walls around this place are strong enough."

"That's not the point. You never know what could happen." Rick shook his head and Carl stared at Rick solemnly. He knew that arguing with his father wasn't the best idea, seeing as he lost about 90 percent of the time. With a deep sigh, Carl nodded his head with annoying defeat,

"Fine... I'll stay."

"Good." Rick squeezed Carl's shoulder tightly with reassurance, "I'll be back by nightfall. Keep your eyes and ears open for us outside. Hershel will be takin' care of Reagan for quite a while, so I'm entrusting the houses protection with you."

"Alright."

"Rick." He turned to the sound of his name once again and Lori stepped forward, her hand placed softly over her lightly protruding belly. She stopped only a few inches away from him, eyeing the backpack planted on his shoulder,

"You headin' out now?"

"Shortly..." Rick nodded and Lori's lips parted as a silent sigh blew through them both,

"How long are you planning on being gone?"

"Not long." He replied dryly, "Depends on where we go."

"Okay... well you four be careful." Lori nodded and her eyes instantaneously looked to the bedroom door to their left, "Reagan's awake finally... I figured you like to know." Rick stared at her for a few moments, noticing a spark of dullness in her eyes as she spoke Reagan's name. Rick then looked to the closed door,

"I'll look in on her." Rick looked back at Lori, seeing a smile on her face,

"She's a bit wound up from being stuck in that room. Better be careful."

"I think I can handle it." Rick then turned and walked towards the door, Lori grabbing onto Carl's shoulder and pulling him along with her towards the kitchen.

Rick place his hand on the handle of the door and stopped for a moment, hearing a hum coming from the other side of the door. It was oddly familiar to his ears and he listened closer, noticing that it was the same lullaby that the teddy bear chimed down in the cellar of the bar. He knew it had to have been Reagan humming it. He finally turned the doorknob and the humming stopped as soon as the door squeaked open, Rick stepping in. Reagan's gold eyes stared him down as he entered, Rick noticing her newly wet hair clinging to her face. A halfcocked smile formed on her lips, "Well then... look at what the kitty cat dragged in." Reagan's arm was now in a makeshift sling that Hershel had rigged on her and she wore a dark grey t-shirt complete with a pair of dark grey sweat pants. Rick stepped further into the room and nodded at her,

"How you doin'?"

"Fine... just fine." Reagan tossed a sweatshirt over her shoulders with her good arm and fixed it over her body, "Sitting in this room for the past three days had made me just peachy."

"That's what Lori said." Rick mused and Reagan huffed, looking back up at him. Her eyes soon fell on the backpack hooked on his shoulder,

"Where you headed?" She nodded towards the backpack and Rick looked down at it, then back to her eyes,

"Out. Gotta go find some more diesel for the generators since we didn't exactly get the chance to do that."

"Well, good luck to you..." Reagan nodded at him and then smirked, "You better watch your back because God knows I ain't gonna be there to do it." Rick's eyes fell to the floor and Reagan took notice, her eyes narrowing at him, "Come on now... don't beat yourself up over it."

"I'm not." Rick lifted his gaze to face her smoldering eyes once again, "I came to thank you. For everything."

"No." Reagan sighed and grabbed the cane from the edge of her bed, grunting as she lifted herself to her feet. She leaned on the cane and turned to face him, "I should be the one thanking you. If not for your damned stubbornness... I'd be dead right now. So take my thanks... because I don't give them out too often." She hobbled over in front of him, stopping and staring at the scruffy survivor. She then extended her hand out to him and he looked at it questioningly for a moment before taking it in his. He was careful not to squeeze her hand too hard in the handshake, but weakly, she tried to squeeze his.

"You shouldn't be on your feet too long. You got a lot of healin' to do."

"Oh, stop worrying about me. I'll be just fine." She smiled and shoved the tip of the old cane back against the floor, "You better get going before it gets too dark." She saw a flicker in his blue eye and he turned around, walking to the door and stepping out. Reagan awkwardly hobbled after him, trying to get used to the cane under her hand. She finally synced it up with the step of her foot and trudged out of the room, her eyes picking up movement out of the living room.

"Oh! Welcome back to the real world!" She saw a grin come from T-Dog and she smiled back at the black man, hobbling towards everyone. A shrug came from her good shoulder,

"Can't say that I'm glad to be back."

"It's just surprising that you're still alive. I thought you were a gonner." Glenn pushed off from leaning on the counter and she stopped, leaning on the cane,

"Thanks for the support."

"Got all we need outta the storage room." Daryl came from around the corner and stopped, seeing Reagan standing in front of him. Reagan looked over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes at the crossbow wielder,

"What were you doin' in my storage room? Better not be stealing all my shit that I worked hard on."

"Stole whatever the hell I wanted to steal. Not like you can do anything about it." A smirked tugged at the corner of Daryl's mouth and Regan narrowed her deadly eyes at his smart tone,

"Better watch your tone with me, boy, I know where you sleep. Start prayin' you don't wake up with no balls tomorrow morning."

"I'll hear you hobblin' from a mile away." He antagonized and walked past her, "I ain't scared of no cripple." Reagan growled in her throat as he passed, almost smacking him clear over the back of the head with her hardwood cane. She decided not to, though, as it might lead to a more intense confrontation with the woodsman. If Reagan wasn't too injured, she would have loved to take Daryl on. He seemed like a good match.

Daryl left out the door, T-Dog and Glenn in tow, and Rick looked at everyone else who strung themselves across the room, "We'll be back by dark. Keep your eyes and ears open. I left a couple rifles just in case somethin' happens."

"Be careful, hun." Lori walked up to Rick and planted a kiss on his cheek, Rick not returning the favor and only nodding at her with reassurance. Lori's hand slowly moved to her belly as Rick turned around, leaving through the door to the garage.

**.:o:.**

Reagan sat at the dining room table quietly, her fork hitting her plate in soft clings as she picked up her food. Powdered eggs, to her dismay, touched her tongue as she ate them in a bit of disgust, not being too fond of the food. She chewed on a few pieces of stale toast to try and wash down the eggs, but it didn't help too much. With the help of some water, the bitter food slid down her throat and into her hungry stomach, Reagan sliding her tongue over the roof on her mouth to try and get rid of the after taste. She salted and peppered the eggs more and more to give them some type of flavor, hoping that she could eat it all without another setback. She quickly ate away, trying to get all the food down as quickly as possible.

Her gold eyes stared across the table, seeing Carl sitting at the other end fumbling with knife. The bored expression on his face caused Reagan to sit upright in her chair and chew on her food carefully, studying Carl as he cut at some dirty rags. She narrowed her eyes and swallowed her food, setting the fork down on her plate while resting her chin on her hand, "What's up with you, Carl?" She saw his sharp blue eyes peek out from under his dipped sheriff's hat, staring at her intently. He shrugged his shoulder,

"Nothing... just being bored..." He mumbled and returned to whatever he was doing on the table. His knife ripped through the flaps of the rag violently, tearing it to complete pieces. Reagan tilted her head,

"How come you didn't go with your dad?"

"He wouldn't let me go." She could hear the twinge of annoyance in his voice and he looked up at her, "Said I should stay here and protect you guys."

"That's a big job to be entrusted on you, little man."

"It's stupid." He shook his head and got to his feet, staring at her as he was clearly beginning to become more angered, "I can barely even shot with this dumb pistol." He ripped his pistol from the holster gripped on his leg and tossed it onto the table, "What am I going to do with that thing if some people decide to show up here and take this place?"

"Kill someone, of course."

"I can't shoot moving targets. They're too hard."

"You can, you just need practice."

"Exactly. How am I supposed to practice if I can't go out and do anything?" Carl stared hard at Reagan and she nodded back towards him,

"Good point." She grabbed her cane and lifted herself with a sharp breath, steadying her body weight and walking towards the young teen. Carl watched her stop in front of him and leaned on the table, resting the cane against her leg before grabbing Carl's pistol from the table. She studied it admiringly, "I'll tell you what. I'll put a silencer on this for you and take you out to shoot."

"Wait, what?" Carl asked a bit dumbfounded, not knowing fully understanding what she said. With a smile, Reagan handed him the pistol,

"I'll take you out and teach you how to shoot." Reagan's voice was soft, careful not to alert anyone of their plans. But as no one was in the room, Reagan smiled and looked back down at him, "You want to learn, right? If you do... you might actually be taken seriously."

"But how are we going to do that? You can barely walk."

"I can walk just fine." Reagan grabbed her cane and reassured him. She quickly walked past him, flicking her head for him to follow after, "Come on now."

Carl was a bit hesitant to follow after Reagan; he didn't know her outside of her hospitality of being the house host. But the want of being needed in the group caused his feet to move and Reagan could hear her behind him. Reagan turned the corner past her recovery room and stopped at the storage room, frowning when she saw it wide open. _'Stupid redneck'_ Reagan scoffed in her mind, knowing that if something were to happen all her hard earned work would go to waste. She then stepped in, Carl stopping at the doorway while watching her curiously. The gun bag sat on a small bed and she rummaged around through it, pulling out a large silencer that she had rigged. "Come here, Carl."

Carl walked in slowly and Reagan extended her hand, Carl knowing that she wanted his pistol. He set the heavy gun in her hand and she sat down on the edge of the small bed, beginning to twist the silencer on his pistol, "Isn't that silencer a little... big?" Carl eyed the rather large silencer and Reagan smiled,

"This was my first silencer. I rigged it out of the top of a metal baseball bat." She looked up at him, seeing the curiosity on his childish face. She screwed the makeshift silencer in and tightened it, "And it's yours now. I have a different one."

Carl took the pistol and studied it, noticing that there wasn't too much more weight to it. Carl looked back into Reagan's eyes and a small smile crossed his lips, "Thanks."

"And I'll take this." Reagan pulled her own trusty pistol out of the bag, a silencer already set out on the tip of the barrel. Carl leaned down a grabbed a small bag off the floor, opening it and moving towards the bag, "What're you doing?"

"Gotta take more ammo." Carl looked up at her briefly as he stuffed a box of ammo in the backpack. Reagan smiled and nodded, standing to her feet and leaning on her cane,

"Grab some rope, too."

"For what?"

"You'll see..." Reagan smiled and moved past him to a set of shelves on the other side of the room. She pouted at her dwindling supply of Molotov's and homemade bombs, letting out an annoyed sigh as she took a couple. She called Carl over and he was quick to her side, watching in curiosity as she stuffed a few aerosol bombs into the bag.

"What're those for?"

"You want to have some fun, right?" Reagan rigged herself with some warm clothes, zipping up her jacket with her bum arm underneath. She kept her pistol tucked closely in her pocket, pushing herself along with her cane towards the back door. Carl manned the backpack on his back and the two snuck out through the back door, Reagan secretly popping a couple extra hydrocodone's in her mouth before leaving.

Reagan and Carl made their way behind the shed, Reagan having a harder time making it through the snow than usual. But pursuing on and not wanting to disappoint Carl, she pressed to the back gate and pulled her spare key out from her jacket pocket. Reagan then stopped and stared out behind the house, seeing a few figures scrambling through the snow in the distance. Carl then took notice to them as well and looked up at her, "This might not be a good idea. If we become overwhelmed you're not going to be able to defend yourself."

"Then I'll leave the defending to you." Reagan looked down at him and smiled, "My life is in your hands."

"But I... I won't be able to do that."

"Then I'll be the bait while you get away." Reagan pushed the door open and continued to look down at Carl, noticing a look in apprehension in his eyes. She stepped through the gate on her cane, looking back at him, "We'll be fine, Carl. Just trust me."

Carl hesitated, but followed through the gate. He heard the click of it shut and the key lock it behind him, knowing there was no turning back. He sucked in a deep breath and nodded his head to himself, gripping his hand tightly around the handle of his pistol. He wanted to make himself better and prove to his father that he was worth it. His gaze moved over his shoulder as he looked at Reagan out from under his hat, "I'll go first." He moved through the foot of snow, knocking down the wall of powder to make it easier for Reagan to walk through. Reagan followed closely behind him, keeping her eye out for any Walkers that were nearby. Tossing a glance over her shoulder, she continued her way through the path that Carl carved, noticing that they were getting further and further away from the house; just what they needed.

Carl halted when a Walker slinked out from behind a tree, both his hands raising the pistol up in front of him. He closed an eye and looked down the sights, keeping his hands steady in order to take it down all in one shot. With the pull of the trigger, the silenced bullet escaped the chamber and shot out, completely missing the Walker by inches. Carl let out a dry gasp and aimed once again, but Reagan gripped his shoulder tight, "Don't kill it." Carl looked up at her from over his shoulder and she met his gaze, "I have an idea... get that rope out of the backpack."

Carl gave her a questioning look, but ultimately swung the backpack off his shoulder and tore it open. The two backed away from the slow Walker that approached, Reagan tearing the rope from Carl's hands and marching forward with her limp, "What're you doing!?" He shouted as she approached the Walker, its nasty snarls echoing through the snowy forest around them.

Reagan shoved the tip of her cane against the Walkers chest, knocking it back a few steps. She took another step forward and repeated, slamming it back a few more feet. Finally, Reagan rammed the cane against the Walkers chest one last time, watching it knock back against a tree. Reagan quickly extended the rope out and wrapped it around the Walkers stomach, pulling both the sides of the rope with her good hand and securing the Walker to the tree. She quickly zipped open her jacket, and with the help of her bum hand, she tied a tight knot in the thick rope. Her legs hobbled back towards Carl and he stared at her curiously, his eyes flicking back to the Walker. It reached out towards them and its legs dug into the ground in attempts to get away from the thick rope.

"There. Now you have yourself a target." Reagan nodded and zipped her jacket back up as a cold breeze descended upon them, "You shouldn't have a problem with twenty feet. It's the perfect distance."

"It's kind of moving a lot..." Carl said as he watched the Walker thrash about in the snow. Reagan sighed,

"Well... if you can't hit it from this distance, as he's moving about like that, there's no way you'll be able to hit it at all." Reagan looked down at him and placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort, "We've got plenty of bullets and take your time... not like we have anywhere to be or anything."

"Alright..." Carl nodded his head and took a couple steps forward, the long silencer of his pistol tapped nervously on his leg. He finally lifted it and gripped it in both his hands, closing his eye to get a better aim. He saw the Walkers head in his sights and took a deep breath, pulling the trigger and feeling the recoil of the heavy gun kick in his hands. He frowned when the Walker continued to thrash about; the bullet had missed its target yet again.

"Take your time, I said." Reagan voiced behind him and Carl raised his pistol again, staring at the Walker. He left out and annoyed huff and closed his eye, the sights following the Walkers head every time it moved. With the pull of the trigger again, he watched a splatter of blood squirt across the trees trunk and drip onto the snow. A light smile crossed his face as he saw the bullets entry point in the Walkers neck, knowing he was close. "Good job. Now this time, try and get its head."

Carl had missed a few more times, his annoyance sky rocketing and making him more irritated by every second. He dropped his pistol to his side and let out a huff, Reagan hearing it and hobbling up next to him. He shook his head, "I hate this. I can't hit the damn thing."

"Yes you can. You're just giving up too easily."

"It's not as easy as it looks." Carl looked up at her, a clear pout strung up on his face. Reagan rested her cane on her body and slipped out her own silenced pistol, staring out at a Walker approaching them closer with each step. Carl watched her pull up her pistol while taking quick aim, her finger yanking back the trigger with utter quickness. The slide cocked in sync with the gun in her hand and he saw the Walker in the distance crash to the ground, a swell of snow bouncing upon its impact.

"It's not hard... you just have to practice." Reagan looked back down at him and slid her pistol back into her pocket casually. Carl dropped his eyes to the ground and eventually looked back at the Walker staring back at him ruefully, "Now do it again." He heard her soft voice say with patience, Carl letting out a calming sigh and turning to face the Walker fully.

The pistols barrel stared at the Walker with a determined eye of Carl's staring back down the sights. Taking a deep breath, the preteen let it out slowly and concentrated all his senses on one thing: taking out the restrained Walker. It yanked and shoved against the tight rope, sneering at Carl with antagonizing intent, its wet hair clingy to its face as it swayed. Reagan watched Carl's hand slowly moving along with the Walkers head, his eye keeping the kill-spot closely in his sights. The soft snipe of his silenced pistol clicked through the air and Reagan's eyes immediately fell on the Walker, seeing its head dip over its chest and its legs give out from under it. With a smile, Reagan laughed and nodded, tossing her hand on Carl's shoulder while shaking it, "Good job, kid. Good job!"

Reagan caught another couple of Walkers with Carl's help, tying them to the trees for live targets in Carl's shooting leisure. It took him a few times after the first, but finally he managed to take out the last two without a hinge. Reagan egged him on and smiled every time he took a Walker down, knowing that he was getting closer and closer to his goal of being able to protect the group. Carl was getting happier as he got the hang of it, also, he himself knowing full well that he was starting to get the hang of things. But after what Reagan had told him what his final challenge was, he was beginning to get a bit nervous.

Reagan had stepped behind Carl as a new Walker approached, Reagan taking no opportunity to tie it to a tree. She kept it loose and Carl would have to defend himself against an uncontrolled Walker, what he would have to face in the real world eventually. Carl lifted his pistol and took a couple steps as it inched closer, Reagan taking notice that Carl's hands were lightly shaking. She slid her pistol out and rested it against her side, ready to gun the Walker down just in case the young boy couldn't do it in time. A couple clicks came from his pistol as the bullets missed their mark, Reagan watching steadily as the corpse continued to carry on towards them.

Reagan yanked her pistol up and pointed, but just as she pulled the trigger, Carl sent the Walker to the ground and ended its misery. Carl huffed and finally took a much needed breath; staring at the Walker he had killed that only laid a few feet in front of him. He then looked over his shoulder, seeing the pistol in Reagan's hand, "What? Did you think I couldn't do it?"

"Just a precaution." She smiled and waved the pistol in her hand, "I knew you would do it. You did good."

"Thanks." Carl nodded and turned fully to face her, "I appreciate you helping me. My dad never has the time to do it and mom's pregnant... but she doesn't really shoot much anyways."

"No problem. I couldn't stay cooped up in that house anymore." She laughed and a soft breeze caused her freezing hair to smack against her cheeks, "And I'm glad I have a little bodyguard to protect an old cripple like me." Carl smiled and looked down to his feet sheepishly, kicking his boot lightly in the snow,

"Wasn't a problem."

"Well then, how about we have some fun now?" Reagan smiled and Carl matched hers as he knew exactly what she was talking about.

The two hooligans strategically placed the Molotov's and aerosol cans, complete with flares, about thirty feet away from their home spot. They didn't have anywhere to place them really, so they set them on a few snow covered logs and the ground around them. Finally, once the bombs were placed, the two rushed back to their designated site and the two raised their pistols, pointing them at them all out in the distance. Reagan stood next to Carl and Carl kept his eyes set on the prize, the two both waiting to pull the trigger as Carl counted down from three. It was as if it was in slow motion once Carl's lips voiced out the number one, the two pulling their triggers and letting the bullets fly.

The bottles exploded into lavish balls of fire, pieces of glass and metal shrapnel flying in all kinds of directions. Both Carl and Reagan jumped at the sound and sight of the impressive balls of fire, Carl jumping up and laughing from the ignition. Reagan nudged him once again and Carl calmed briefly, steadying his pistol as he let off another shot. Reagan wasn't far behind and the explosion echoed through the silent trees, Carl and Reagan letting out delighted laughs at the fun of blowing stuff up. One after another, expressive balls of fire lit up the air and the flames all danced with each other before extinguishing into the thin, cold air. Reagan and Carl grew giddier and giddier at the sight of each one, Reagan pointing out the different colors each of them all had before returning to her gun to ignite the next.

There was only one left and Reagan left it to Carl, Carl stepping in front of her and staring at the far off glass bottle of the fateful Molotov. It was a bit closer than the others and Carl smiled when he knew that he was going to be the one to ignite the last beautiful fireball of the day. Like and old western movie, Carl's fingers hovered over the holster of his gun and his eyes narrowed as they stared out at the shining bottle. His eyes noticed a few snowflakes beginning to fall from the grey sky above him, but soon ignored them as he deemed himself ready. Carl tore his pistol from its holster and pointed it with his hands, staring down the sights briefly and pulling the trigger. The bullet broke out of the gates of the cylinder and exploded out of the barrel, it's incredible speed striking the glass of the Molotov. It shattered into pieces and the ball of fire seemed more explosive than the rest, sending the flames up into the trees limbs.

Reagan watched Carl's head cock back and his body fall to the ground, her eyes widening in sheer shock. Gasping, she dropped to her knees by his side, seeing blood beginning to dribble down the side of his face and plague the innocent snow. "Carl!? Carl!?" She shouted, grabbing his shoulder and shaking it. Carl's blue eyes popped open and he took a breath, "Are you alright!?"

"That was fun!" He said as he lifted his body, a smile strung up on his face. Reagan grabbed his shoulder to keep him from standing,

"Woah there... you're bleeding. Let me take a look." His trusty sheriff's hat fell off in the disruption and Reagan placed her hand on his head, moving his hair out of the way. A sigh of relief blew through her lips and she smiled, "You just got hit by a piece of shrapnel... the cut doesn't look deep."

"It doesn't hurt at all." Carl placed his hand on his knee and pushed himself to his feet, "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. I've been shot before."

"That makes two of us..."She smiled. Carl then elevated his hand to Reagan and she stared at it for a moment before placing her hand in his. Carl helped Reagan to her feet, hearing her grunt as she had to bear her weight on her injured ankle for only a few moments. Carl grabbed her cane from a small dip in the snow and gave it to her, Reagan nodding with thanks. Reagan then reached down and grabbed the sheriffs hat off the ground, dusting it off on her pants before placing it back on his small head.

The two gathered their things and walked back down the snowy path in which they came, the strong brick wall of their compound staring back at them. Carl wiped the blood off his cheek as the dribbles annoyed his skin and kept his eyes out for any Walkers that might threaten him. Reagan handed him the key to the back gate and Carl opened it for her, letting her hobble in before him. While locking it behind him, he turned and continued on with Reagan towards the house, helping her up the stairs just in case she needed it. He then pulled the back door open for her and she stepped in from the cold, shivering once the warmth licked her freezing face.

"There you two are!" She heard a frantic voice call and Reagan looked up to see Lori rushing towards them. Her eyes immediately went to Carl, "Where have you been!? You scared me out of my wits."

"I was out with Reagan." He shrugged it off like it was nothing, "We went out to go shooting. I need to practice and she tied some Walkers to some trees to give me something to-"

"You two were close to Walkers?" Lori's eyes widened and they finally moved back to Reagan, "Are you crazy? Taking him out with you in your condition!?"

"He was fine. I wouldn't have let anything happen to him." Reagan replied with the shake of her head. Lori was completely taken away,

"You could've gotten my son killed!"

"Calm down there, sweetheart." Reagan put her hand up to mediate and Lori shook her head, her eyes infuriated,

"Don't tell me to calm down! This is serious!"

"_Mom_!" Carl barked and Lori stopped, looking down at her son. She then noticed the blood on his face that slid down from the cut on his head,

"Is that blood?"

"Stop it mom! I'm fine!" Carl grew annoyed by his mother's overprotective nature, "Yeah, I got hit by a piece of glass while we were shooting at some bottles! It's nothing I can't handle!"

"You aren't to leave my sight again, do you hear?" She eyed Reagan with her burning blue eyes, Reagan knowing most of it was directed at her. "I don't want anything to happen to you again." Carl put his foot down,

"Stop treating me like a child! I hate it!" Lori looked down at him, her lips parting in shock at the tone he used towards her, "Reagan is doing what you and dad aren't! She's teaching me how to live in this world, how to fight for you and protect you all! I _so sick_ of sitting around and doing nothing!" He then shoved past Lori and up the stairs towards the bedroom he inhabited, the two hearing the door slam violently.

"He's right, you know." Lori looked back at Reagan once her voice slithered back into her ears, "You shouldn't keep him cooped up in her like a dog. He needs to start learning how to do things like everyone else. It's not fair to him."

"Don't you tell me how to raise my child! What would you know about it!?" Lori hissed back, the clear infuriation still radiating off her face. Reagan let out an annoyed sigh and leaned on her cane, shaking her head and limping past Lori back to her recovery room.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Dear lord, sorry everyone for the very late update! I was on vacation for about 10 days and I just got back on Sunday! I had some writers block for this chapter so it took me a while to think something up... but I think it turned out pretty good!**

**Anyways, this will be the last original chapter from me and chapter 8 will delve into season 3! Finally!**

**Review and enjoy my lovelies :)**

A harsh wind barreled through the forestry around the Blackwood compound, snow pounding up against the side of the house. Another storm brewed on the horizon and by the look of the clouds rolling in from the intense whirlwinds, it wasn't too friendly. Trunks of the standing trees swayed back and forth like velvety dancers on a ballroom floor, their branches stroking one another for some type of comfort. The leaves rustled relentlessly with annoyance as they knew they weren't going to get any type of relaxation in the night that quickly approached.

A loud horn sounded through the air as the Hyundai sat behind the black gate, the main male members of the group waiting patiently in the vehicle. Finally, after a few moments and a couple more honks of the horn, Hershel and Maggie walked out of the depths of the garage and the two Greene's manned the rope just outside. They pulled with their combined strength and with ease, the black gate lifted and the Hyundai slowly made its way inside. Once the vehicle was clear, Maggie and Hershel gradually dropped the gate under it landed with a barely audible thud against the snow crowded in clumps on the ground. The father and daughter duo stepped out of the comfort of the garage as the Hyundai came to a stop, their hair whipping around in their faces courtesy of the snooping wind.

Rick's boot was the first thing to make it out of the driver's side of the SUV as he fully stepped out of the vehicle, taking a look around the compound instinctively. Daryl was out of the passenger's seat not far behind Rick and Glenn and T-Dog pulled themselves out of the back. Daryl narrowed his eyes against the harsh wind, the flaps of the poncho Reagan had given him snapping against his legs while he grabbed his crossbow. Rick shut his door and shouldered the AR-15 in his hands, noticing T-Dog and Glenn already had the back door to the SUV open and retrieving their scavenged supplies.

"How was the drive?" Hershel eyed Rick as he walked up to the older man, Hershel looking past Rick briefly to see Daryl shouldering a backpack.

"Tiresome. These storms just won't let up..." Rick said as he stared up at the sky, the wind desperately trying to smack his face through the thick scruff that had grown on his jawline. Rick saw Maggie rush forward and he assumed she was moving to either help the others in the back of the vehicle or hug Glenn for being safe.

"I'm sick and tired of these damn storms." Daryl scoffed as his deep brown hair tickled his face, "It ain't helpin' us much with this snow pilin' up. Pretty soon we won't be able to leave this place."

"We'll prepare for it." Rick reassured him as he looked at his right hand man, "We've got plenty of supplies to deal with this winter. All we gotta do is ride it out the best we can."

"Did you get the fuel?" Hershel asked and Rick's eyes returned to the older man,

"We managed to get a couple cans worth of diesel. It took us a while... but I suppose it was worth it." Rick turned halfway once he heard the back door to the SUV close and T-Dog, Glenn, and Maggie all stepped towards them. Daryl was already making his way to the garage and Rick nodded at his crew,

"Let's all get inside and get started on evening preparations. We don't know what this storm is gonna bring us."

With that, everyone retreated to the comfort of the garage and T-Dog close the garage door behind them, the dark room only illuminate by an oil lamp in the corner. Rick followed Daryl into the house with everyone else in tow behind him, Lori and Carol greeting them as they entered. Rick rested his rifle on the wall and turned to meet his wife, his jaw tightening sternly at the sight of her. Her hand rested over her stomach unconsciously, her blue doe eyes staring into his with a bit of relief.

"I'm glad you made it home before the storm got too bad." Lori said in a soft tone and Rick pushed it aside,

"Yeah well we had our share of difficulties out there." Rick's blue eyes scanned his surroundings and his eyes narrowed, "Where's Carl?"

"He's been in the room for a few hours..." Lori sighed and looked over her shoulder as if trying to spot the injured housekeeper, "He got upset with me."

"With what?" Rick asked and Lori's eyes moved back to her estranged husband. There was a bit of hesitation in her face, but ultimately, her lips breathed out her words,

"Reagan took him out today. Shooting..." Lori rested her hand on the counter in the open kitchen, "He said that she took him out to kill some Walkers as moving targets. When he came back he had a cut on his head... he was bleeding. When I told him not to leave my sight he got mad at me and he's been in the room ever since."

"She left the house with him? In her condition?" Rick asked a bit skeptically and Lori only nodded in reply to his question. Rick looked past Lori and his eyes fell on the room in which Reagan was set to dwell. Without another word, Rick pushed past his wife and Lori followed his movements all the way to her room.

Rick placed his hand on the knob but stopped for a moment, lifting his other hand and knocking on the hardwood softly, but firmly with his knuckles. He waited patiently for a response and heard a rustle on the other side of the door accompanied by a profanity hissed along with a groan. "Come in..." He heard Reagan's muffled voice say from the other side and finally with her permission, Rick turned the door handle and stepped in.

The first thing he saw was Reagan's tense shoulders, her arms shaking lightly under a black long sleeve shirt clasped to her small frame. Her hair was pulled to one side and slowly, her head turned over her shoulder to face him. Her golden eyes had been muddled by dark rings under her eyes, Rick knowing that she must've been coming down from the high of her pain medication.

"What do you want?" Her raspy voice asked and she was showing clear signs of fatigue and anguish. Rick stood with purpose and his blue eyes stared at her,

"Why did you take my son out of the house?" He watched Reagan's eyes narrow at him and he continued, "In your condition... you could've gotten yourselves both killed."

"You gonna come in here and bite my head off like Lori did?" Reagan scoffed and Rick took a couple steps forward, "I'm not stupid."

"Humor me."

"Don't come in here and patronize me. I'm in no mood to deal with any of you people."

"You're gonna deal with me when it comes to my family." Rick stepped in front of her challengingly and Reagan glared up at him while gritting her teeth,

"I offered to take _your son_ out to help him better his shooting since you won't do it."

"Excuse me?" Rick asked while raising an eyebrow and Reagan laughed under her breath,

"All he wants is to be around you... to help you when you go out. He also wants to better himself with his shooting... so I went out to help him." Reagan continued to glare up at the familiar stranger standing before her, "If you don't start helping your son, teaching him how to survive in this world, then he's gonna end up just like my son did. _Dead_."

Rick's body tensed up at the word and even the mere thought of Carl's life being taken away from him made his breathing shallow. Reagan stood to her feet with the aid of her cane, "That still doesn't excuse what you did." Rick wasn't easily faltered and Reagan rolled her eyes,

"I understand your concern for the boy, but he's alive, isn't he?"

"Things can happen."

"And things do happen." Reagan's blood began to boil and she stared at him through her blonde bangs, "You already know that I won't let anything happen to you all under my watch, so why come in here and poke the bear and accuse me of mindless shit? Just be lucky I let you stay here in the first place."

"You keep bringin' that up." Rick narrowed his eyes and nodded his head, "Let me know when it makes you feel better." Rick watched Reagan's jaw tighten and he could hear her teeth grinding under its tenseness, "It wouldn't have matter if you showed up that night... I would've found a way out!"

"You keep telling yourself that idiotic prick!" Reagan shouted at him and it caught Rick off guard for a second, "I should've thrown your asses out the morning I brought you all back here! You all walk around here not knowing what to do with yourselves, half of your people are lost causes!"

"We do what we can to get by!" Rick hissed back and stepped towards her imposingly, "There is nothing wrong with my people you're just too simply minded to accept us how we are!"

"I don't care! The only god damn reason why I let you assholes stay here in the first place was because Carl was with you!" Reagan balled her hand around the handle of her cane and her chest wound began to throb violently from her outspokenness, "And then I saw that your wife was pregnant... I just couldn't make myself toss you all out in the cold."

"Oh, how sweet of you." Rick said sarcastically while walking past her. Reagan growled in her throat and turned after him,

"I want you all gone by tomorrow night..." Reagan said and Rick turned halfway to face her, his eyes not taking her demand into consideration,

"What's goin' to happen if we don't?"

"I'll make you." Reagan grinded her teeth together once again as she heard Rick laugh under his breath,

"In your condition? You can't even swat a fly."

"People that have stayed here before..." Reagan took a step forward as if trying to intimidate him, but it backfired, "They didn't leave with their lives when they refused to heed my word. You have no choice."

"Oh... I do." Rick nodded and looked over, seeing her scythe resting against the wall. He swiped it up in his hands and glared back at her with burning blue eyes, "I'll be taking this as well as your guns."

"Don't you fucking dare, Cowboy."

"I appreciate what you've done for both me and my group, putting your life on the line for us, but if you're goin' to threaten us then I have no choice but to make you a prisoner in your own home." Rick yanked the door open and Reagan's eyes widened, her hand pressing against her painful chest, "We're here to stay and you're goin' to accept that whether you like it or not."

"Hey!" Reagan shouted and stumbled forward as Rick slammed her door shut. She gasped when her body rammed up against the hardwood entryway, her hand balling into a fist. The lock on the doorknob turned and she stared at it with wide eyes, taking a deep breath and pounding her fist against the door.

"Let me out god dammit!" Her hand pounded frantically against the door as her mild claustrophobia began to set in. Irritating pain in her knuckles fluctuated under her skin, causing her hand to stop briefly, "You're going to regret this!"

Reagan stepped back, her hand dropping her cane as she fell to the floor. Her mind tumbled in different directions as her eyes stared blankly at the door as if almost waiting for Rick to pop back in. But after a few moments of strict silence, she clenched her eyes shut upon hearing nothing on the other side of the door.

Reagan then cursed her foolishness for letting her mouth run rampant and land her in yet another unmanageable situation.

**.:o:.**

The wind thrust itself up against the boarded windows of the quiet house, its violent whistles managing to symphonize the room with its tunes. Reagan sat awake in her bed, her strained breathing and grunts exhaling from her lips from the pulsating pain in her chest. She lied there for hours, in what she assumed was late into the night, wallowing in her anguish. Maggie had brought her some dinner and locked the door again, once she left, under Rick's command. Reagan refused to eat.

The storm wandering about the skies outside almost made her wish that her window was unbarred, both for the point of trying to escape the room in her wounded state and for seeing what kind of war was being waged outside. She curled up under the blankets of her bed, her muscles clenching tightly in attempts to rid of the misery she lied in. Reagan's hand wiped the lightly coated cold sweat off her forehead and she clenched her eyes shut, trying to get them to glue together with tiredness. But with the door locked behind her, the anxiety boiling in her chest slowly seeped into her brain and caused her to lie wide awake.

Reagan took a deep breath to calm her mind, rolling over on her back and staring up at the completely black ceiling. She couldn't even remember what color the ceiling was or what the light fixture looked like. Her mind dwindled in imagination at what type of things were in the room, even if she knew what furniture kept her company in the small space. But alas, imagining things were keeping her mind away from the locked door.

"_Mom..."_

Reagan's eyes popped open and her heart suddenly burned with fright at the sound of an all-too familiar voice. A hard lump of insecurity rolled down her throat and her eyes desperately tried to strain through the darkness as if trying to look for a the young voice.

"_Why did you stop talking to me?"_

She heard the childish voice call again in the darkness and her gold eyes tried to light up the room. Her hand reached out and turned the switch to her bedside lamp on, the dim light barely lighting up the entire room. Reagan's eyes darted around each corner and possible crevice of the room, but she saw no one in its depths. Reagan's hand gripped the sheets around her body tightly and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to try and clear her mind once again. She was just hearing things.

"_I get so lonely now... it's not fair that you left me again."_

"I didn't." Reagan soft voice replied before she could stop her tongue, her eyes opening. Her body froze and her lips drew into a thin line upon seeing the face that belonged to the young voice. The light brown orbs situated on her face softened,

"Corbin... just don't hate me..." Reagan softly added as she stared into her son's equally brown eyes. His dark brown hair cradled around his face just above his ears and his thin lips drew into a smile,

"_I don't, mom. And I never will."_ He looked exactly the way he did the last time Reagan had saw him before he was mauled by his undead foster parents. Corbin took a couple steps forward and stopped at the edge of her bedside, Reagan still not moving a muscle, _"I just get lonely, is all. You used to talk to me all the time before those people came here."_

"I know, baby. I'm trying to get rid of them."

"_Oh don't do that."_ Corbin shook his head and his hair bounced back and forth in his face,_ "They're nice people. I kind of like them."_

"But now I can't be by myself..." Reagan reached her hand out and touched his cold cheek, "And I won't be able to talk to you as much."

"_But you like them too, mommy."_ Corbin pouted and rested his hand right spot on her chest wound that dwelled on her skin, _"And they saved your life because you're a big dummy."_

"I know..." Reagan smiled softly and rested her hand on Corbin's as it continued to press against her bandaged wound. Surprisingly, his touch didn't her like her own, "It's just getting really hard for me."

"_These people can help you... you just have to let them try."_

"Corbin... why do you like these people so much?"

"_Because they're the first ones that haven't tried to kill you."_ His lips parted into a small, white smile, _"And they're really nice, too, especially that Rick guy. I know some of them annoy you... but you can't be a dummy anymore."_

"I know, babe. I just..." Reagan's voice trailed off and her golden eyed gaze fell to the floor. As her eyes closed, she felt Corbin's hand brush up against her cheek and her head leaned into it, the invisible force somehow keeping her steady, "I love it when you're here... you always come when I need it the most."

"_That's because you're my best friend."_ Corbin laughed under his breath with a smile and Reagan opened her eyes, staring at her son. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes and watched Corbin pout through the veil of cloudiness in her pupils, _"Oh mom. Don't cry... you get emotional when you cry."_

"I know... sorry." Reagan smiled and wiped the ball of her hand against her eyes, "It's just been a few weeks since I talked to you and I missed it."

"_I missed it too."_ Corbin smiled and leaned down, placing a kiss on her forehead. He then stood to his small feet and looked around the room, his face becoming oddly disturbed for a young boy. Reagan's brow knitted over her forehead as she stared at her long departed son,

"What is it, Corbin?"

"_Mom. You have to get out of here."_ Corbin turned to face her and his ghostly brown eyes became wildly alert, _"You have to get out of here or you're going to die!"_

"Corbin-!?"

A loud, explosive crash sounded throughout the house and Reagan felt her bed rumble under her body. Another blast detonated just outside her door and Reagan dove out of her bed, grunting when she hit the floor hard. She gasped and her vision blurred under the agonizing stress that took over her body, Reagan's hand clawing against the floor. Her lamps light retreated into the darkness as soon as the second explosion sounded, causing her eyes to strain through the darkness once again. But just as she lost hope to see in the darkness, a bright orange light radiated out from under the crack of the door, flickering off the laminate of the hardwood floors. Reagan huffed and scrambled, hissing when she felt the pain of her chest bite back at her attempts to move.

She gritted through it and landed on the edge of her bed, her fingers searching desperately for her cane. Her ears picked up the frantic voices and footsteps of Rick's group throughout the house, but the intense crackles of an unknown source drowned them all out. Reagan pressed herself to her feet and staggered towards the door, slamming back up against it in the same manner she had before. Her hand pounded against it frantically, her voice hoarse from her pleas for help.

"Help!" Reagan shouted and her hand latched onto the doorknob, her fingers jiggling it violently, "Help me! Please!" Her hand slapped against the door so hard that it stung deep into her skin. She jolted back and panted, feeling an abrupt heat filter on through her room. Reagan had a slim idea of what waited for her beyond the door.

Taking no time, she shoved her feet into her boots lazily, not bothering to tie them as usual. Reagan gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, closing her eyes and mumbling inaudible nothings to herself. Her eyes then popped open and she stared at the door with undying determination. Bearing all her weight equally on both feet and ignoring the biting aches of her damaged ankle, Reagan took a deep breath and ran forward.

Her cane bounced out of her fingers as soon as her good shoulder smashed against the door, Reagan bouncing back and screaming in pain. Her fingers clawed at the bullet wound in her chest and tears streamed down her cheek as she stumbled back away from the door. She sobbed more from the torture she put herself through rather than the fact that she might die where she stood. But Reagan was determined to go down with fight instead of just lying in her bed in wait to be put out of her misery.

With one last loud shout of her endless willpower, Reagan ran forward and rammed all her weight and strength into the door, hearing it crack under the pressure. Reagan found herself crashing to the ground once again, her vision jarred in a blur once her head bounced off the ground. Her mouth gaped open and all she could see in the blur of her vertigo was an extremely bright invasion of orange. Reagan's hand pressed against the hot floor and her weak arms struggled to lift herself as she stared at the unsettling sight before her.

Unimaginably large flames overtook the entire living room of the house, the savageness of the heat instantly causing Reagan's body to break out in a sweat. Reagan tossed her arm over her face as one of the flames grew in size and jumped out towards her to eat her up. Panting, her breathing became strained from the black smoke that hovered overhead and it caused her to cough violently. Her eyes watered under all the intensity that crowded around her and her heart faltered as she knew it would take everything she had to get out of the dire situation.

More shouts sounded over the wall of flames and Reagan could make a few of them out as Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog's voice. Reagan took in a deep breath to shout for help, but a black cloud of smoke assaulted her lungs and she choked out for some type of clean air. Her arm wiped over her wet eyes and she climbed to one knee, her gold eyes attempting to search for some type of safe route through the wall of the bright inferno. Reagan then saw her backpack sitting on the table next to her and with one swipe she tossed the straps over her shoulders, knowing that there were critical supplies still crowded in its depths.

It was so hard to breath. All the smoke, all the heat, and all the commotion made all her sense hard to grasp. But Reagan took as deep a breath as possible and lurched up, stumbling towards the wall of flickering flames. With one leap of her legs, her long limbs bounded the rest of her body over the inferno.

Her bad ankle snapped out from under her and her knees hit the floor, her arms catching her from hitting the ground. They shook violently from the panic and adrenaline pounding through her veins, Reagan's shallow breathing burning through her lungs. Her wounds became numb from all the movement and whatever pain that tried to eat at her was easily kept at bay with the help of her pounding heart. Her dirty blonde hair hung in her face as she frantically looked around to make her next move. Flames had consumed most of the downstairs area by now and they were moving faster than she expected. In no time at all, the flames would overtake the entire house and it would crumble into pieces, crushing Reagan and burning her alive.

She spotted the familiar kitchen counter and she could feel her adrenaline slowly draining from her body. Taking the chance as quickly as possible, she jumped to her feet and moved fast as her mind strained for her next move. Her lungs struggled to breathe in fresh air as more and more black smoke piled into the house, her eyes slowly clouding from the veil of blackness. Reagan tossed her shirts collar over her nose and desperately tried to create some type of ventilated mask, but to her dismay, it didn't help in the slightest.

As Reagan bounded around flames and tried to continue her destined path to the garage door, her mind whirled with faintness and she felt her body toss to the side. She grabbed something to steady to herself, but her eyes shot wide went her skin sizzled and burned from landing on a smoldering desk. Reagan waved her hand as fast as she could to rid her burning skin of its pain, her mouth shouting out a hoarse scream as she fell to the floor again, this time, adrenaline not lending her the strength to get back up. She stared at her shaking hand and saw the bright red skin blistering from the burn eating away at her soft flesh. Sweat dripped off her forehead and off her jawline as the heat blistered as if Reagan were sitting in a huge oven. Her chest heaved in strained, panicked pants and she stared into the flames slowly crawling towards her.

"_Mom! get up!"_ She heard Corbin's voice echo in her head but she didn't bother to see if he had manifested in her sight. Reagan's eyes softened and she coughed violently, her lungs refusing to breath in anymore hot, black smoke.

"_Get up, god dammit!"_ The next voice she heard was louder and deeper than before, Reagan's eyes narrowing at the sound. It wasn't anywhere near Corbin's tone of voice.

Suddenly, a hard set of hands grabbed her shoulders and hoisted her up, Reagan clenching her eyes shut and shouting out in pain. Her arm was tossed around a taller figure next to her and a hand wrapped around her ribs, gripping her tight. Her vision pounded as black circles pulsed around her pupils, Reagan trying to desperately grasp onto her surroundings.

Suddenly, a wave of crisp, cold air rushed against Reagan's skin, bringing her nothing but relief. Reagan could feel small kisses of the cold smacking against her face to keep her from losing her consciousness. Her cloudy vision picked up the flickering brightness of snow underneath her, and sooner than she knew it, she realized that someone was helping her carry herself outside and into the safety of the snow.

Reagan felt her body jolt forward and both she and her counterpart slid against the snow, Reagan feeling the wetness of the melting freeze clawing into her thin clothing. Reagan's hand balled up and she coughed violently, swearing her lungs were heaving out chunks of black smolder. She sucked in as much clear air as her mouth allotted and opened her eyes, seeing the struggling figure next to her lifting itself to its knees. With the help of the light of the burning house behind her, Reagan finally got to see the rough face of her savior and the very same poncho she had parted with a few days prior.

"Let's just say we're even now, cripple." Daryl grunted as he lifted himself to his feet and stumbled over to her. Her grabbed her by the arm and ignored her soft cries of pain, Reagan finally getting back to her feet and hoping to stay there. She was getting quite sick of falling to ground.

"Wh-what happened?" Reagan asked wearily as she looked into his blue eyes, her hair flickering around her face from the animalistic wind surging through the air. Daryl moved to look at the hastily burning house,

"The damn wind knocked a tree down and it hit the generators." Daryl's voice was loud in her ears to make sure she could hear him over the loud flames, "Damn thing exploded and the house went up! You didn't see it when you were walking through the room?"

Reagan tried to recall seeing the tree through the broken part of the house, but by the time she had broken through the door of her room, most of the house was already eaten away. The wind was so strong that it was no wonder why the flames were burning so quickly through the two story building.

Reagan stepped back and tossed her arms up as the second story windows exploded, sending glass shrapnel careening through the air. As her eyes looked past her arms, all she could see was her beautiful safe haven being destroyed in an untimely demise.


	8. Chapter 8

"_Rick wanted to go back for you... but he didn't have a chance when I ran in first."_

The stale air stood still around a small town, papers upon papers littering the ground around the small town. Cars sat abandoned by their people, windows broken and dents plaguing their painted bodies from the unwanted damage sustained. Crows pecked at one another and some even fought over the human meals that decayed on the concrete all around the houses front yards. Finally, a small breeze carried the grotesque wafting scent of the withering bodies in and around every crevice of the town.

Amongst the small set of tree just on the edge of the forest, and old red house stood old and proud through the shrubbery. A few windows were broken and clouded, the siding of the stiff building cracked and worn from old age. A set of white double doors stood shut on the top of the porch firmly as the stairs descended into the overgrown grass below the foundation. Footsteps suddenly rushed from the roadway a few feet from the building, their sounds muffled from the subtle lawn that stretched across the houses front yard. The boots of the many living survivors slammed up the hard steps with loud pounds as they ascended to their temporary refuge.

The double white doors exploded open and cracked against the walls, a Walker not having a chance to turn and see its killer once it soon dropped to the floor with a bullet in its head. A scythe whirled around violently and sliced the neck of a Walker clean while its head thumped to the floor and rolled quickly to a stop.

Reagan rushed around Rick as he pulled the trigger to his silenced pistol vigorously, her aim set on a Walker swaying in the doorway to the kitchen. She tossed her scythe against the wall and swiped her own pistol from her belt, raising it and feeling the recoil of its deadliness blast back in her hand. Rick looked over her shoulder as T-Dog and Carl came in last, Daryl already making his way around the corner and towards the back rooms of the house. Reagan turned to the adjacent hallway and disappeared behind its walls, her ears picking up movement behind her.

Her gold eyes turned to see Rick putting down a Walker behind her, his blue eyes moving up to face her and she knew she was telling her to watch her back. The two exchanged quick nods to each other and Rick pushed past her after directing Carl to the kitchen, Carl heeding his father's moves and gripping his own pistol tight. Reagan watched Rick move past him and she looked up a set of stairs that led to the second floor, noting the entrance quickly before moving into an open closet.

The darkness consumed her eyesight and she easily yanked a flashlight out from the back of her pants, clicking it on as her eyes relished in the illumination. The ball of light at the end of the strain flicked around by the influence of her hand, her eyes darting around the closet to see the white wire racks practically empty. But then her eyes fell upon and old, withered door and she stared curiously, moving towards it slowly while raising her gun. Using her flashlight hand, she placed her fingers on the handle and turned it lightly before yanking it open rapidly.

She jumped back a few feet and shined her flashlight up just in case something jumped out at her, but her eyes soon stared down the arrow of a makeshift crossbow bolt pointed directly between her eyes. Daryl attempted to stare back through the bright light of the flashlight, his eyes squinting as he lowered the crossbow in his hands. They stared at each other for a few brief moments, the only thing they both could hear were the sounds of their tired breathing. Reagan pouted and let out a sharp huff of relief, Daryl cocking half a smirk from her startled state and stepping out of the doorway back the way he came.

Reagan rolled her eyes and turned around, clicking the button on her flashlight off and retreating back to the entry way to the house. Her eyes darted around the room and she saw no one but soon heard a couple pairs of footsteps moving up the stairs to rid of anymore plagued Walkers. Reagan stepped through the double doorway and quickly descended down the steps, her eyes keeping a lookout on the houses surroundings just in case any stray Walkers decided to crash their party. Finally, her gaze set on the vehicles parked by the shed and the three women sitting safely inside.

Lori, Carol, and Beth all stepped out of the silver Dodge simultaneously, their faces dirty and weary from a few days past. At the sight of Reagan, the women knew that the coast was clear and their hands immediately grabbed their belongings. Reagan pulled up the back door the Hyundai and shouldered a few duffels, exchanging a quick look to Lori as she helped. Her golden eyes soon moved down to Lori's prominent belly, seeing her belly button pushing against the dirty white fabric of her shirt. Reagan's skin crawled when she heard a snarl and whipped around seeing a Walker sliding out from behind a tree. Her trigger finger was quick with the respectable aim she took in a split second, the Walkers head cocking back as a bullet rushed through its skull.

Reagan turned and pressed her hand against Lori's back, pushing her along and staying in front of the three women to keep them protected in their trek to the house. Her attention was caught when she heard Rick's familiar whistle, signaling to her that the house had been completely cleaned out. As they all turned the corner, Rick stood against the wall of the doorway, watching as Reagan brought his wife around to him safely.

Rick gave a stern nod of thanks to Reagan and she returned a small smile to him, stepping into the house and tossing the duffels onto the ground. She rolled her shoulder and groaned, digging her fingers into her tired muscles in hopes that the ache would go away. The double doors behind her were closed by Rick's hand and everyone began to flood into the main living area that was occupied by a small fireplace. Everyone sat in a circle and sat quietly amongst each other, not a living word being spoken to break the air. There was so much fatigue and anguish that radiated off everyone's body it was almost suffocating as Reagan stepped in and sat down on the window ceil, her elbows digging into her knees as she hunched over.

Her eyes glazed over each and every one of her fellow survivors faces, and slowly, she stopped at Rick's tense back a he cautiously kept watch out the window. A hard lump rolled down her throat and she quickly averted her gaze and it fell upon Daryl, who sat on a small book desk plucking the feathers of a dead owl. His attention was too focused to notice that Reagan was staring at him with a bit of disgust at the creature as the corner of her small nose tugged in a scrunch. But she had to face the facts; better to eat what you can or go hungry and die.

The growl of her stomach made her a bit self-conscious and she pressed her hand tightly against her abdominals, trying to rid of the annoying sound. As if on cue, Carl strutted in from behind the corner leading to the kitchen with a pair of cans in his hands. A small smile of triumph formed on his lips as he sat on his knees, greedily grabbing the can opener and beginning to open the cans. Reagan eyed him curiously, wondering what kind of food lied in wait as Carl continued to pry the metal open. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched with tiresome hunger at what waited under the can's lid, Carl finally prying the top off.

Rick slowly turned from the window, the curtain he held falling from his hand, and stepped towards his adolescent son. His soft boot steps caused Reagan to look over and watch him move across the room to curiously find out what Carl was doing. Rick's hand reached down and he slipped the can into his fingers, giving one last look at Carl before his blue eyes set on the can in his dirty hand. His eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed upon seeing a dogs face staring back at him on the label, the strong scent of the canned dog food wafting into his nostrils. Rick stepped a couple of feet back and whirled around on his heel, tossing the dog food as hard as he could into the fireplace.

A couple of the group members, including Reagan, jumped at the abrupt sound of the can exploding against the concrete. They stared at Rick and he turned to meet all of their gazes, his eyes then setting on the creaky floors below him. He let out a few deep breaths and stepped back, everyone bowing their heads and returning to unpacking their belongings.

T-Dog let out a soft whistle and Reagan was on her feet in seconds, staring out the window he had looked through and seeing a group of scattered Walkers making their way towards the house. T-Dog handled his fire stoke quickly in his hand and Reagan was across the room instantly with her scythe in her hands.

Everyone ran out the back door in minutes, their belongings packed and ready to go as they were on the move once again. Reagan was first out the door alongside Daryl, his crossbow already aimed and firing at a stray Walker. A couple stepped in front of the vehicles and Reagan easily swung the nifty blade of her trusted weapon, the heads of the Walkers rolling across the grassy ground. They all worked around the intense shrubbery until they final arrived at their vehicles, bags and weapons being tossed inside safely.

Reagan jumped into the passenger's seat of the silver Dodge, T-Dog manning the controls, and slammed her door shut, noticing more Walkers getting closer by the second. The loud engine of the truck roared to life and Reagan stared through the windshield, seeing Daryl already rolling down the road on his blacked out motorcycle. Reagan's chest jolted against the seat as T-Dog slammed the accelerator down to the floor, the Dodge's tires spinning against the dirt and lurching once finally catching the asphalt of the road.

**.:o:.**

T-Dog pulled the truck to a stop on the hidden highway, the red and silver Chevy's taillights disappearing as it had been shut off. Reagan jumped out of the passenger's seat, as well as Carl behind her, and the two rushed up to the Hyundai parked in front. Reagan joined the group all huddled around the hood as Maggie rolled out the map that they had been so accustomed to following for the past few months.

"We got no place left to go." T-Dog shook his head while shouldering his rather large backpack's strap on his shoulder. Maggie held her hands against the maps edges to keep in from rolling up and her finger quickly darted to the map,

"When this herd meets up with this one we'll be cut off. We'll never make it south."

"What'd you say?" Daryl leaned on the windshield of the car while staring at Glenn thoughtfully, "Bout a hundred and fifty head?

"That was last week... could be twice that by now." Reagan mumbled while staring hard at the map, her thumb trailing across her bottom lip. Hershel pointed at an erratic blue line slithering through the map,

"This river could have delayed them. If we move fast we might have a shot to tear right through this."

"Yeah but if this group joins with that one then they could spill out this way." T-Dog was quick to reply to the older man and Maggie sighed with annoyance,

"So we're blocked."

"The only thing to do is double back to the twenty seven and swing toward Greenbull." Rick's fingers darted in the direction he explained and T-Dog shook his head while rubbing it with his hand,

"Yeah but we-we picked through that already. It's like we spent the winter going in circles!"

"Yeah I know... I know." Rick nodded and turned to face his African American counterpart fully, "At new noon we'll push west... we haven't been through there yet."

"We can't keep goin' house to house." Reagan shook her head and her brown eyes trailed over to Lori, who sat in the passenger's seat of the Chevy tiredly, "We need to find a place to hold up for a few weeks at least." Rick followed her gaze and stared at his wife, agreeing with Reagan in the sense that she knew Lori was due at any point of day at this point in time.

"Alright. Is it cool that we get to the creek before we head out?" T-Dog tossed his bag up while staring at Rick, "It won't take long, we gotta fill up on water."

"Knock yourself out." Rick replied and as everyone walked away to gather their belongings, Reagan walked towards the front of the car, staring back at Lori in the truck,

"She can't take much more of this moving about." Reagan shook her head and stared at Rick as he continued to look at his wife. Rick then faced Reagan,

"What else can we do? Give birth on the run?"

"Do you see a way around that?" Reagan tilted her head and sighed, "She has to be drawing near to birth here anytime. I wish I could gather more information about her pregnancy but I can't."

"I know that..." Rick nodded his head at her, "But we don't have a choice at this point. I'm doin' the best I can."

"I know you are... just don't stress out about it too much." Reagan warned and Rick gave another soft nod to her in agreement.

"Hey..." A raspy voice called softly behind Rick and the two looked over to see Daryl securing a bolt in his crossbow, "While the others are out washin' their panties... let's go hunt." He rose himself and checked over his crossbow quickly as Rick walked past him to retrieve his rifle, "That owl didn't exactly hit the spot."

"Try to bring back something a little more appetizing other than another nasty possum this time, Watch Dog."

"I'll make sure to bring back some road kill for you." Daryl replied quickly to Reagan's smart mouth, "Now why don't you turn your little ass around in a tight circle and waddle your ways on outta here before you curse my hunt or somethin'."

"Yeah, whatever." Reagan scoffed and turned around with her arms crossed, stepping back towards the vehicles as Rick passed her with his rifle wrapped around his back. A small, smug smile lit up on her cheeks; she always had fun in smarting off to the backwoodsman.

"Yo Reagan! You gonna help us out!" T-Dog called and Reagan's eyes snapped to him to notice some water bottles and jugs in his arms. She quickly moved over towards him and took a few of the jugs from his arms to take her half of the load,

"Of course, T. Let's just make it quick, we don't want to sit here for too long."

"I hear that." T-Dog turned around with her and Reagan saw that Glenn and Maggie were already descending into the forest.

As Reagan piled water into the jugs she held, she sighed to herself and wiped her wet hand across her forehead. The water cooled her burning skin and she looked around the water's edge, making sure no Walkers decided to burrow out of the shrubbery. Her shoulder twitched and her fingers pulled down the V collar of her shirt while her brown eyes stared down at the bulleted scar on her skin. Her fingers trailed over the sensitive spot reassuringly and the annoyance of her twitch disappeared under her touch.

It had taken Reagan longer to recover than she first thought, but when her entire house was completely burned away, it was obviously a major setback. For the rest of the winter, she moved with Rick's group on the path to survival much to her dismay, but she learned to deal with it. Eventually, she grew quite fond of the group and even when she got better, she decided to stay with them. Without a set foundation to return to at the end of the day, Reagan didn't think it was a good idea to travel alone anymore.

After regaining Rick's trust in the few months that she was with his group after the compound was burnt to the ground, Reagan finally became a full-fledged member in the group. With her particular set of skills, and the way she worked around her weapons, she was one of the most sought out fighters of the entire group. Daryl was known as Rick's right hand man and Reagan soon became his left hand when the time came to it. Daryl and Reagan were swift and deadly when they worked together, clearing out an entire house of Walkers within minutes. But that didn't mean they had to like or enjoy each other's company.

Lori had been placed in Reagan's care, and with Reagan being a nurse in her past life, it was a wise decision. Reagan protected Lori, checked on her health when it was needed, and did everything she could to make the queen bee comfortable. Reagan didn't protest against her position and oddly enjoyed being in Lori's company. Even if the two didn't see eye to eye with one another sometimes, they understood each other. Reagan knew what it was like being pregnant and the joys that it could bring; the biggest being that of bringing a new life into the world.

"Hey Reagan, I think the bottles full." Reagan was snapped out of her thoughts when Glenn's voice flooded into her ears. She looked over her shoulder to see him standing on the bank behind her and then she looked back at the bottle, seeing it still dipped in the water and overflowing. She pulled the bottle up and capped it,

"Here... I'll take that." Glenn reached down and took it from her hand. Reagan stood to her feet and stretched her knees of any aches,

"Thanks Glenn."

"Are you done?"

"Yeah." Reagan nodded with a smile and checked all the plastic containers in her hands, making sure they were all filled.

As the four stepped up the small hill towards the road, Reagan's eyes caught the familiar sights of Daryl and Rick standing back by the vehicles. Her brow furrowed lightly as whatever group was left by the cars huddled around in a small circle, Rick's lips moving in words inaudible to their ears.

"They're back already?" Maggie asked a bit skeptical and Glenn looked to her,

"Maybe they got caught up with Walkers?"

"I don't think so." Reagan said and the young lovers stared over at her as she nodded at Daryl, "He's got somethin'... guess the hunt was cut short."

"I was wonderin' when ya'll were gonna be back." Rick turned to face them as they stopped and set the water bottles down on the hood, "We found somethin'."

"Something?"

"What kind of something?" Reagan asked curiously after Glenn and Rick stared at her,

"Something safe."

**.:o:.**

"A prison? Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously." Daryl replied as he and Reagan jogged through the forestry down a path through the shrubs. The rest of the group was only a few yards behind them and the two were sent forward to eradicate any threats.

"That place is pretty big." Reagan mumbled more to herself than Daryl as she finally saw the prison beyond the tall fencing of its perimeter. A snarl cackled around Reagan's side and she whirled around, the scythe spinning in her fingers until the blade sliced off a Walkers head. Her ears picked up the familiar sound of a silent ping and looked over to see Daryl reloading his crossbow quickly.

"Hurry towards the gates and keep your eyes open!" Rick called to all the ears around him, Reagan and Daryl slowing to let the rest catch up so they could take formation.

They all burst through the forest out into a grassy clearing just a couple hundred feet from the first set of fences. Reagan swung around to the back flank next to T-Dog, holding up the rear and left side with her medium ranged weapon. Walkers meandered about the fence line, and as they caught the appetizing scent of Rick's people, their heads slowly turned into the direction followed by their bodies.

The group finally reached the fence and Rick took the front while shoving the head of his bolt cutters into the wired fencing. With a few snaps, he began to open a makeshift door with the trusty tools, everyone behind them keeping their eyes open as the Walkers approached. Glenn had rammed a Walker up against the fence with his spade, and with the help of Maggie's hammer to the head, the Walker slid down the barrier and to the ground in death. Reagan looked over her shoulder, seeing Lori had been surrounded by the others, and quickly returned her eyes to her surroundings.

"Watch the backside!" T-Dog called over the Reagan and her brown eyes flicked to him briefly,

"I got it! Go, T-Dog!" Reagan noticed that everyone had already begun to flood into the makeshift door that Rick had cut open. T-Dog gave her a quick nod and grabbed his backpack from the ground, turning, and leaving Reagan to watch the rest of their backs as they climbed into the barrier for safety.

"Reagan, hurry!" She heard Rick's quiet voice to her call from the fence and with one last look as Walkers stumbled down the fence line, she whipped around and put her scythe in first. Her body was quick to follow as her small frame squeezed through, her shirt getting caught momentarily on a piece of jagged wire protruding out.

Daryl and Glenn shut the edges of the fence once Rick was through, Glenn's nimble hands worked quickly with a wax covered wire to tightly keep the fence shut. As Reagan turned around, a mass of Walkers slammed up against the fences, her eyes noticing that almost all of them were wearing prison outfits. Her gaze moved up the path leading to the upper gates and she mentally cursed to herself upon seeing an endless sea of countless Walkers.

Just as Glenn finished tying off the door, a Walker slammed up against it and Glenn jumped back, not knowing whether or not it would hold against the undead's brute strength. But once Rick saw that the fencing was holding, he turned around with the heavy gun bag on his shoulder and began his descent down the wire corridor. Daryl backtracked in front of him and then turned around, he and Reagan leading the pack and keeping a close eye on the Walkers that were crowding around the perimeter. Everyone's legs jumped into a jog and they easily made their way across the dirt without much complication.

"Jesus they're all over the goddamn place." Reagan eyed as many of the Walkers slamming up against the fence as she could as they quickly rushed by. Her boots slammed annoying on the gravel below her feet, her scythe resting on her shoulder as they neared the end of the perimeter guarded by a tall tower. Her gold eyes stared up at the abandoned tower briefly before returning her gaze to a gate through her blonde bangs, Daryl rushing forward to shove it open with the lead.

Daryl lowered his crossbow as he pulled the squealing gate open, taking cautious aim just in case a Walker was in the square barrier of wire. The group behind both he and Reagan slowed to a walk and Reagan curled her fingers into the fence, staring out at the concrete walls of the prison above them. Walkers in to prison yard, who had not yet taken notice to their appearance, slowly sauntered through the tall grass blindly.

"It's perfect." Rick breathed behind her and Reagan turned, seeing everyone's eyes staring out at the building. Rick then pointed to a gate at the end of a dirt runway out next to yet another guard tower, "We can shut that gate... preventin' more from fillin' the yard. We can pick off these Walkers and take the field by night!"

"So how do we shut the gate?" Hershel asked while eyeing his leader and Rick looked back off into the prison yard in deep thought.

"I'll do it." Reagan vouched and all eyes turned to her, "You guys can cover me."

"I'll go with you." Glenn offered and behind him, Maggie shook her head,

"No... it's a suicide run."

"We're the fastest... and Reagan has a long ranged weapon that can take out many of them all in one swing." Glenn eyed Reagan briefly before looking back at Rick,

"No..." Rick turned back to Glenn with the shake of his head, "It won't matter how many Reagan's scythe can take out all in one shot. If they crowd around her, or corner her, the range of her weapon will be virtually useless." Glenn took a deep breath and ran his hand through his thin black hair. Rick then caught Glenn's attention again as he pointed back from where they came, "You, Maggie, and Beth draw as many as you can over there. Pop 'em through the fence! Daryl, go back to the other tower!" Rick then turned to Hershel and Carol standing next to him as he began to formulate a plan, "Carol, you've become a pretty good shot. Take your time... we don't have that much ammo to waste. Hershel, you and Carl take this tower!"

"Right." Carl nodded and was quick on his feet as he ran towards the guard towers door while Hershel grabbed a rifle from the gun bag.

"I'll run for the gate..." Rick stared at the fence above them and as he heard the snarls of the Walkers around them getting louder, he looked right to left at the numerous crowds. Rick reached down and grabbed his trusty action bolt rifle and slipped the strap over his shoulder. As he turned, he saw Glenn handing him a pair of double snap clips attached to each other by a thick chain.

Reagan heard the loud shouts of the rest of her group slamming their weapons up against the fences. She smiled once she saw Walkers slamming up against the barrier and the others pierce the Walkers faces with their weapons through the welded wire. Her eyes returned to the task at hand as Rick walked up to Reagan and Lori, Reagan's fingers latched onto the gate and ready to pull.

"You sure you wanna go by yourself? I can still cover your ass." Reagan asked one last time and Rick looked to her with his blue eyed gaze,

"You'll do better back here with your rifle. I can tell your arms are already getting tired from swinging that thing around... you're not as conditioned as you used to be." Rick said and Reagan nodded in agreement but inside her mind was boiling with irritation. It wasn't irritation caused by Rick's words, but irritation caused by the fact that Reagan still hadn't recovered completely from the chest wound she so gallantly received over five months prior.

Rick leaned down and prepared his legs for the sprint, and with one last look at Reagan, he nodded to her and Reagan's arms yanked the fence back.

Rick was like a racehorse being released from their gates and he rushed around the overturned bus, his legs pumping back and forth to maximize his speed. Reagan shut the gate quickly behind him and immediately rushed to the gun bag, ripping out her trusty AR-15. She turned just as the rain of gunfire blasted through the air, seeing Walkers in the courtyard falling left and right. Reagan knelt down next to Lori, who had her own little revolver propped in her hand and aiming at the closest Walkers to her. Reagan's ears rang as the Lori's small revolver blasted right next to her, her light brown eyes watching a Walker fall to the ground motionlessly,

"Good shot." Reagan cocked a smile and looked up at Lori, who did not look down at her but smiled to herself at Reagan's words. Reagan then pressed her gun's flank into the pit of her shoulder and slid the barrel through one of the openings of the welded wire fence.

Her red dot sight immediately fell upon a Walker and Reagan quickly steadied the gun quickly, her finger pulling the trigger. The Walker fell with a well-aimed bullet to the back of the head just as she watched Rick pass it in her sights. Reagan then turned to another Walker closing in on Rick without his notice, but as Reagan pulled the trigger, she missed entirely as a crossbow bolt slammed itself into the Walkers skull.

"That _asshole_..." Reagan growled in her throat and looked up at the tower off to her left briefly, seeing Daryl docking another bolt in the channel of his crossbow quickly. She knew Daryl knew somehow that she had aimed at that particular Walker and he wanted to steal the glory of Rick nodding back at him in thanks for watching his back.

Shots popped off in all directions and blood splattered out of the Walkers heads upon the bullets impacts. The shouting echoes of the guns would most surely draw in more Walkers from the outside, but that was of no one's concern at that time and moment. Back and forth with expert scoping precision, Reagan downed every single Walker in her sights, clearing them out faster with each pull of the trigger. She quickly dropped the empty clip out of her gun and shoved one back in, her eyes noticing that Rick had finally made it and clipped the gate shut. Before returning to her fire, she made sure Rick had gotten into the guard towers safely, and after she slid her barrel back through the wired fence, she heard Daryl shout from his tower.

"Light it up!" His raspy voice echoed and without having anymore hesitation or concerns of hitting Rick, all the guns that were out sent out a massive shower of bullets upon the prison yard.

Rick had finally made it to the top of the guard tower and ripped the rifle off his back. He rested his foot on one of the rods of the rails and took aim with the bolt action rifle. Through the sharp scope, her began to pick off the Walkers in the courtyard just as his group did, wanting to take the pleasure of mowing down the corpses without any remorse. As he popped off a shot, Rick smiled and shook his head while unloading the gun and reloading it quickly, knowing that finally they could have somewhere safe worth fighting for.

Reagan pulled her AR from the fence just as the echoing sound of Rick's rifle put the last Walker down, a smile crossing her cheeks as she got to her feet. She stared at all the prison Walkers bodies lying on the ground, her body becoming oddly relieved when she knew that this place might be promising.

"We did it..." She heard Lori breath tiredly beside her and Reagan smiled over at her,

"Unbelievable, huh?" Reagan laughed under her breath and the two women turned upon hearing the guard tower doors fly open.

"Fantastic!" Carol laughed as she and Daryl came rushing around from behind the guard tower.

"Nice shootin'." Daryl said to everyone as they crowded around, staring out at the guard tower that Rick has disappeared into.

"You okay?" Carol asked as she passed Lori once Reagan opened the gate to let everyone in,

"Haven't felt this good in weeks..." Lori rubbed her stomach unconsciously and the group entered the cleaned out prison yard, their eyes moving over every inch of the open space.

"We haven't had this much space since we left the farm!" Carol laughed cheerfully as she jogged about the grass fields, carefully avoiding the bodies of the Walkers scattered about.

"Didn't think somethin' like this was out here." Daryl looked around the courtyard and his eyes soon fell upon the prison standing tall behind the fences that Rick had just mended.

"I think the last thing we all expected to find out here was a damn prison." Reagan continued to hold an amused smile at what she had just taken part in. A loud shout of happiness sounded behind the two knights as they both stopped and turned halfway to see T-Dog with his fists raised in the air in triumph.

**.:o:.**

Darkness was soon upon them after the group settled in the prison yard, all their bags and belongings set out around in a circle. Their vehicles sat behind the overturned bus from when they had driven in more safely after the Walker massacre. A low, but warm fire flickered in the middle of the group's encirclement and a thick wire case of an old fan sat in the middle where their food had been cooked. The survivors ate the wild animal humbly, and for an odd reason, it tasted better than all the other wildlife that Daryl had killed before. They all had a chance to stretch out and lounge on their pillows and blankets, finally managing to relax for who knows how long.

Reagan sat on her padded blanket, her hand running a grinding stone over the blade of her scythe. The grinding stone scraped against the blade with a few loud crackles, Reagan making sure she wasn't annoying anyone next to her. A cool breeze fluttered over her hair and a few strands of her long blonde locks bounced out from behind her back and rested on her shoulder.

"Mmm... just like mom used to make." Glenn stared at a thin bone in his hand and reached his arm back, tossing it as hard as he could out into the jungle of thick grass.

"Tomorrow we'll pull the bodies together." T-Dog's deep voice was next to speak amongst his group, "We wanna keep 'em away from that water. Now, if we build a canal under that fence we'll have plenty of fresh water."

"This soil is good..." Hershel observed the dirt he had picked up in his hand and sprinkled it lightly back into his palm, "We can plant some seed. Grow some tomatoes, cucumbers... soy beans." Hershel then dropped the soil back to its home on the ground and straightened his old spine, staring out at the prison above them. But he wasn't staring at the prison itself, but that of Rick continuing to walk back and forth in making sure that the perimeter would not be breached.

"That's his third time around..." Hershel pointed with a bit of concern in his voice, "If there was any part of it that were compromised, he would've found it by now."

"What'd you expect of him?" Reagan said without looking up to everyone and only keeping her eyes on grinding out the blood stains on her scythe. She could feel all eyes on her, "After all that we've been through in the past months, all the close calls that almost killed us all, I don't blame him." Finally, her eyes reached up to everyone else's and they flickered in the soft firelight, "Just let him do his thing..."

There was silence amongst them all and it was broken when Reagan's grinding stone slid back against the steel of the old scythe. Her eyes briefly moved up to Rick's position on the fence line, her hand stopping as she looked back down onto the blade. She sighed and tossed the weapon aside, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. Her gaze turned to her right towards the overturned bus in front of the fence, seeing Daryl moving back and forth across the long vehicle, his keen eyes keeping watch over the group.

"This will be a good place to have the baby..." Reagan heard Beth's cute voice direct towards Lori and Reagan was soon brought back to the encirclement, "Safe." Beth said lastly and Lori smiled at the young girl,

"I'll do a check up on you tomorrow." Reagan pulled Lori's attention to her, "You're gettin' pretty big... it's only a matter of time before that sucker pops out."

"Hey Reagan, there's only a bit of food left, aren't you going to eat?" Glenn asked from her side and she shook her head while looking at the bowl of food being offered to her.

"No thanks... I'd rather go hungry than eat another damn possum again. Sorry for my picky eating." She apologized with a smile and silently glared over at Daryl from atop the bus, noticing that there was now tow people standing on in.

'_Ignorant woman.'_ Reagan thought to herself as she looked into the fire knowing that it was Carol on the bus. Reagan didn't like her much, and never did since they met, mainly because she was a woman who didn't know how to defend herself.

"Bethy..." Hershel's southern voice managed to bring Reagan's mind back to reality, "Sing Patty Riley for me... I haven't heard that I think... since your mother was alive."

"Daddy, not that one, please?" Maggie shook her head with a bit of sadness. Hershel tilted his head,

"How about... Partin' Glass?" He asked thoughtfully while looking over at his youngest daughter, Beth meekly shaking her head softly,

"No one wants to hear."

"Why not?" Glenn asked and Beth looked over at him in silence for a few moments to deliberate. Finally, she let out a small sigh and nodded,

"Okay..." Beth's eyes darted back and forth from everyone staring at her, her hand rubbing her pant leg nervously.

Reagan stared thoughtfully at Beth as her beautiful, silky voice flowed like a river amongst everyone that listened. It reminded Reagan of the times she had to sing lullaby's to her dearly departed son, but over time, her singing voice had lost its touch. But Beth's singing brought a new sense of relief, a new sense of hope to everyone that Reagan could see a new, fresh look in everyone's eyes. And like a contagion, Maggie joined in with her sisters singing in the last verse, Beth smiling when she heard Maggie's help.

Reagan could hear footsteps from over Beth's singing and looked over her shoulder, seeing Carol and Daryl approaching. Over the other side of the group, Rick emerged into the firelight from the darkness, staring at the fire as he knelt down in between Carl and Lori. Carl handed him a bowl of food and Rick took it from his sons hand, staring at it heartily, but ultimately passed it along to Lori. Lori shook her head, saying she already had some, but Rick was stern and didn't back down from offering her the food. Lori sighed in defeat and took the bowl, plucking the food out of it and eating it to fuel both hers and the baby's survival.

"Beautiful..." Hershel exclaimed with a smile under the thicket of his white whiskers after his two daughters finished their singing.

"We better all turn in." Rick's voice drew everyone's attentions to him and he nodded towards the corner of the fence line, "I'll take watch over there. We got a big day tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" Glenn asked off to the side and Rick fumbled with his fingers for a moment before speaking,

"Look, I know we're all exhausted..." His eyes moved back and forth from each face of his group, "This was a great win. But we gotta push just a little bit more... most of the Walkers are dressed as guards and prisoners. Looks like this place fell pretty early, could means the supplies may be intact. They have an infirmary... commensary-"

"Armory?" Daryl's' gruff voice asked with curiosity and Rick nodded at him,

"That'll be outside the prison itself but not too far away. The warden's offices would have info on the location." Rick looked back to everyone around the fire to further their motivation, "Weapons, food, medicine... this place could be a gold mine!"

"We're dangerously low on ammo..." Hershel voiced with the shake of his head in a bit of skepticism, "We'll run out before we can make a dent."

"That's why we're gonna have to go in there... hand to hand." Reagan pressed herself to one knee and glanced over at Rick, "Isn't that right?"

"Yes." Rick nodded in agreement and continued his plans as he stared at the weary, tired faces of his counterparts, "After all we've been through... we can handle it. I know it." Rick fell into a brief silence as his hand bounced on his knee, his eyes moving down to Carl, "These assholes don't stand a chance."

With that being said, Rick rose to his feet and began his trek to where he would stand watch for the night. Reagan also stood to her feet, reaching down and shouldering the strap of her rifle, "It's my turn to take watch on the south side... I post up on the bus." She grabbed her blanket and scythe from the ground, giving a reassuring nod to everyone as they stared at her in silence.

She could see the anguish on all their faces as she stepped away from them, noticing that Lori had also stood to her feet and pursued after her estranged husband. Reagan's head whipped around in front of her and her rifle's stock bounced annoyingly against her back with each step she took. The bus slowly came into arms reached and she went around the back of it, staring at the ten foot steel underside of the bus in which she would have to climb. She tossed her scythe up to the top, hearing it slam down on the side of the bus loudly to signal that it was safe atop. Taking a dirty under-pipe with one hand, her feet jumped onto another and slowly, she crawled her way up to the top of the bus.

Her rump met with the coldness of the buses steel and she let out a sigh, tossing the blankets over her shoulders and tightening it around her chest. Her AR lied quietly on her lap and her gold eyes stared out into the darkness that consumed the forest line behind the fences. She could see black, shadowy figures of Walkers moving about the thickets of grass behind the strong fences of the perimeters. Her eyes kept a close eye on them tiredly as her mind imagined how exactly the next day would pan out for them.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Sorry for the lack of updates guys, I've had a lot of stuff going on in my life and family lately that its really taken a toll on my writing schedule as of recently.**

**But I won't keep you any longer, enjoy the chapter!**

The hot sun of the Georgian atmosphere beat down on the prison-goers, their foreheads already breaking out in sweat.

Reagan checked the clip of her pistol, making sure it was loaded before she tucked it in the lip of her waistband. Tying off her knife on a belt loop, she unclipped the strap for easier access and slid it both in and out before securing it. She let out a deep breath, a barely faint breeze tossing about her baby hairs that tickled her face annoyingly. Her fingers tucked her blonde locks behind her hair as she stood to her feet, manning her scythe in her left hand.

As she turned, her gold eyes saw the rest of her group readying themselves to head into the upper prison yard to try and capture the inside. Maggie and Glenn were conversing with one another while checking their weapons, T-Dog and Daryl packing up the rest of their camp with everyone else, and Rick staring at the Walker plagued prison gates they were set to attack. Reagan shifted in her boots and began her trek towards Rick, shouldering her scythe and rubbing the back of her hand across her dry lips. Rick turned his head to face her once he heard her footsteps in the grass stop next to him.

"Sure are a lot of them up there." Reagan kept her eyes set on the gates at the end of the dirt road, the Walkers clawing and gnawing at the welded wire as they stared at her and Rick.

"We can take them down."

"You sure are confident, Cowboy." Reagan smirked and finally looked over at him, Rick meeting her gaze. He didn't reply to her, only turned around to face the rest of his group as they readied themselves. Reagan turned, but did not walk after him, only watched as he stopped in front of everyone while placing his hands on his hips.

"Alright everyone, gather up." Rick called and waved his hand before placing it back on his hip. He licked his lips and gave a look back at the gates above them, returning his attention to everyone that now stood before him, "We've got a lot to do when we get up there, so we're goin' to have to take our regular formation. Reagan is gonna head up the front with her scythe, me and Glenn will hold the sides while T-Dog, Daryl, and Maggie take up the rear. The rest of you will draw as much attention away from us as you can from the fences. Strike 'em down through the wiring."

"Is everyone ready?" Rick asked, his blue eyes staring over the weary faces of his group as they tiredly nodded their heads. Letting out a silent breath, he nodded more to himself than everyone else and turned around towards the fence, grabbing up his machete along the way.

Reagan, Daryl, T-Dog, Glenn, and Maggie didn't take any more time to follow after him, all their weapons ready for battle. Rick walked past Reagan and stood only inches from the gate, eyeing the clips that kept it from sliding open. Reagan looked over her shoulder at the rest of the formed group, their eyes all holding secret conversations with one another before they all looked back to Rick. Hershel stood beside him with his fingers intertwined in the fencing, his blue eyes staring through the thick white whiskers of his eyebrows.

"Ready?" Hershel asked and Rick didn't answer him, only grabbing one of the clips and yanking it from the fence. Rick shoved the gate open and the battle begun.

Reagan made short work of the first Walker, everyone making sure they kept their distance from the range of her scythe once it beheaded the walking corpse. T-Dog ran in behind her, shoving his fire stoke through a Walkers head and shoving it to the ground. Daryl jumped forward, his nine-inch knife ramming through the top of a Walkers scalp, Daryl easily knocking it to the concrete with his brutal strength. Everyone slaughtered the oncoming Walkers with no regret, no pity taken upon the decaying individuals. They had one thing on their mind and one thing only: take this prison yard.

Reagan gracefully and almost flawlessly swung her scythe as if it was an extension of her own body. Walker's heads popped off their bodies and rolled around one the concrete like soccer balls, their jaws continuing to chomp at the bit even though they were no longer connected to a base. Rick was beside her, taking out any Walkers she managed to miss with a swift machete to the brain. Like a strategic team, they all exterminated the threat around them, their weapons swinging violently around each other.

"Stay tight!" Glenn shouted as the group began to split, "Stay tight!"

The group tightened around each other once again, all their eyes darting to and from in one big blur of adrenaline. The shouts of the rest of the group banging their weapons up against the clanging fences flooded Reagan's ears, causing her to briefly look over at them as they smashed skulls through the welded wire.

A cold hand brought Reagan's attention back to her situation and her hand instinctively ripped out her knife. The Walker that grabbed her plummeted to the ground after she yanked her knife out from under its jaw, Reagan scowling down at it. Her eyes desperately searched for her loyal scythe that she had dropped in the process, but once an approaching Walker let out a snarl directed at her, she immediately dismissed her search.

Rick mowed down a Walker with his machete and once it fell to the ground, Glenn rammed his blade down through its head to make sure it wouldn't get back up again. Rick pushed forward with his followers behind him, his blue eyes noticing that the Walkers were finally diminishing in numbers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw T-Dog jump forward and away from the safety of the group.

"Don't break rank!" Rick shouted and T-Dog looked back at him,

"I got it!"

"T!" Rick shouted back, keeping his eyes on the Walkers approaching.

T-Dog grabbed a riot shield and wrapped his arm through the bars, finally reaching it up. He struck a Walker across the face with the unbreakable plastic of the riot shield, Maggie running forward and smashing the Walker's head in. Glenn grabbed at Maggie's arm and pulled her to safety, their eyes scanning about for their next target.

"Almost there!" Rick called and Reagan followed closely behind him, her knife risen and ready to strike like a deadly viper.

Reagan slowly pushed open a door next to the tall building, both her knife and Daryl's waiting to break through a Walkers skull at any moment. Daryl and Reagan briefly exchanged eye contact before moving forward to follow after Rick again. Daryl tore his crossbow from off his back and pointed it over Reagan's shoulder, her hand rising as they neared the corner of the prison side.

"Shit!" Rick jumped back and pressed Reagan back just before she blew their cover, the two of them sucking up against the wall with everyone else. They all tried to calm their labored breathing and just as they thought they were in the temporary clear, movement caught Reagan's eyes.

"Rick!" She breathed while pointing and his blue eyed gaze followed her to the end of the prison yard. A large, green dumpster sat in the middle of the clearing, a couple large, robust Walkers walking out from behind the dumpster.

Rick's eyes narrowed as he stared at the Walkers approaching them, their bodies clad in some sort of black riot gear with helmets clasped to their heads. Rick looked back at Daryl, who stood away from the wall with his crossbow pointed at them. Reagan's heart dropped when she saw more of the Riot Walkers stumbling out from around the corner of the building, their eyes instantly falling on the weary group of survivors.

Daryl's trigger finger was quick as he pulled, a crossbow bolt being slung from his crossbow and slammed up against the face guard of the helmet. It bounced off in defeat and clanged against the ground, the Riot Walker letting out a discontent snarl as it quickened towards them. Daryl took one large step back and Rick was the first to charge the Walker, his machete slamming down hard on the Walkers helmet.

Reagan ran forward and shoved her foot against the chest of the large Riot Walker, its feet stumbling back from the sheer force of her weight. Reagan pressed forward once again but doubled back when another prison Walker reached for her out of nowhere. Her hand jumped out and slashed her knife across its face, its nose falling to the ground as it let out a wail. Reagan shoved all her weight forward, the Walker slamming to the ground under her strength. T-Dog rammed his fire stoke into the Walker's head, both he and Reagan nodding at each other in thanks.

"Daryl!" Reagan heard Rick shout as he tackled a Riot Walker to the ground, recovering quickly. Another Walker's face slid off its jaw by the influence of Rick's machete, his boot kicking one back behind the gate that led to the next prison yard. Daryl rushed forward and the two yanked the gate shut as fast as they could, Rick's fingers fumbling to put another set of chained clips on the fencing to keep it closed. Walkers pounded against the welded fencing, their fingers clawing at Rick and Daryl in attempts to grab at them.

"We're good!" Rick shouted and both he and Daryl whirled around to help the rest of their comrades in dealing with the Riot Walkers.

Reagan shoved one back and stabbed her knife around the helmet, trying to pierce its brain as quick as possible. But with the Walkers erratic movements, it was proving quite difficult to do so. Its gloved hand reached out towards her, but she knocked it away and Reagan swung her leg up, kicking it as hard as she could in the head. She couldn't help but smile when the helmet peeled off the Walkers scalp as it flung of its head, crashing to the ground. Reagan wrapped her hand around its neck and pushed back, her hand gripping her knife tightly as she rammed it into the Walkers face.

The Walker fell with a hiss and plunged to the concrete, Reagan's hair spinning once her hair whirled around the face the rest crowding her group members. Her legs darted her body forward and she tackled one to the ground, shoving her knife into the only exposed part of the Walkers skull in through the back of the helmet. Reagan jumped up and watched as Maggie finally figured a way to take the Riot Walker down head on, and with that information, T-Dog and Glenn followed in her footsteps.

She panted and turned just in time to witness Rick tearing the mask off a HAZMAT Walker, all the skin of its face going along with it. Reagan scrunched her nose in a bit of disgust as the Walker thrashed about under Rick's weight, Rick not sparing the Walker anymore moments of life as he brought down the edge of his machete, slicing most of the Walker's head in half.

Reagan noticed another Riot Walker struggled to lean up. It was the very one that Rick had tackled before he closed the gate to the next prison yard. Reagan darted forward and grabbed the facial shield of the Walker's helmet, reaching her knife under and shoving its long blade right up under its jaw. Her bloody hand swiped her bangs out from in front of her face as she stepped back from the dead Walker, her golden eyes looking back over at her group, who all exchanged eye contact with each other.

Walker's bodies littered in the waking path of the prison survivors, the only living bodies of the undead now behind the clipped fencing that Rick and Daryl had shut. Their loud snarls echoed throughout the captured yard, their snarls bouncing off the walls loudly. Blood was everywhere: on the ground, on the walls, and on the clothes and skin of Rick's group. It was all fresh from their most recent battle.

"Wait!" Rick called once he noticed Glenn hurrying back towards the others standing idly behind the fences waiting for their return.

"Well it... looks secure." Glenn said when he watched everyone looking around at the buildings towering above them.

"Not from the look of that courtyard over there." Reagan's finger pointed tiredly to the next courtyard, Glenn quickly noting a hole in the fence once he saw it.

"And that's a civilian." Daryl pointed his knife hand down at a Walker lying close to them, Reagan staring down at the female corpse.

"So the interior could be overrun with Walkers from outside the prison?" T-Dog said tiredly as he pushed off the wall, the riot shield he adopted still clad in his hand. Glenn shook his head and slapped his hands on his thighs,

"Well if there's walls down, what're we gonna do? We can't rebuild this place."

"We can't risk a blind spot..." Rick shook his head while looking at all the members of his offensive group, "We have to push in."

"Wonderful..." Reagan sighed to herself before retrieving her downed scythe and tossing the strap of it over her shoulder.

She took up the rear once the group filed into a wired corridor, her hand gripping onto the knife in her hand shakily. Her adrenaline pumped fast as she wiped her bangs from her face once again, her body stopping once every else did. Over T-Dog's shoulder, Reagan watched as Daryl slid the iron door open and Rick raised his machete just in case a Walker jumped out of the shadows. Upon seeing it somewhat clear, Rick pulled out his flashlight and clicked it on, disappearing into the darkness as everyone else followed after him.

Reagan could feel her eyes widen once she shut the door behind her, the squeal of another door being pushed open softly. There was a subtle light shining through whatever windows occupied the inside of the room, Reagan's feet stepping down a small flight of stairs. Her eyes scanned her surroundings, not seeing any visible Walkers or hearing any hidden ones behind other iron doors. The clamminess of the inside of the prison bit at her exposed arms and legs, her skin immediately feeling sticky to the touch. She brushed off the feeling once she set her eyes on the small watch tower that grimly stared back down at her.

Cautiously, she trekked her way through the room, seeing a few tables strung about the floors with two iron doors set on opposite ends of the large space. Reagan stopped when she heard a soft whistle and turned, seeing Rick nodding towards her and looking up at the guard tower. He wanted her to go up and see what she could find.

With a nod in agreement, Reagan walked towards the tall, open stairs and silently made her way up the steps, keeping her eyes on the door. Her fingers brushed against the soft, old wooden handle of her scythe as it pressed against her rump, Reagan wishing she could peel it off her back and using it. But with such small quarters, there was no way she would be able to. So once again, she raised her knife warily as she stopped at the doorway.

Seeing the door already open, Reagan took a deep breath and held her knife out in front of her defensively. With her cat like reflexes, she jumped forward and stopped, her knife hand shaky as she stared at a body sitting on a chair in front of a platform of controls. Her lungs hesitantly let out her held breath and she leaned over the body, poking the body with her knife to get some sort of response from the corpse. But seeing blood and body matter splattered all over the glass of the tower, Reagan knew that the man had blown his brains out with his own bun.

Something caught her eye. Her gold eyes stared down at the corpse's waist where she saw a ring of keys waiting to be grabbed by her hand. Licking her salty, dry lips, Reagan reached down and rested her finger tips on the keys, keeping her knife pressed against the body just in case she had been wrong. Her fingers hastily grabbed up the keys and she leaned back up, eyeing the body suspiciously as she took a couple steps back. Through the windows of the glass she saw Rick staring up at her, a smile crossing her face once she lifted the keys and jingled them at him. He nodded back at her with surprised eyes and Reagan turned around, jaunting down the steps back towards them.

"Looks like were in luck." She said as she tossed the keys towards Rick, his free hand catching them flawlessly. He opened his palm and stared at the keys, turning towards Daryl to show them to him,

"These should open almost every door in this place." Rick said and Daryl nodded at him,

"Won't know till we find out."

Rick walked towards the barred, iron door and reached his hand through with a key, his hand trying to search for the lock. Once the key was in, Rick twisted it slowly and pushed the big door open as quietly as he could, his nose breathing out an annoyed huff when it squealed loudly. Dismissing the sound, he pressed in with his group at his heels, all their weapons ready for any attack by their undead enemies.

Reagan and Daryl brushed past Rick, their eyes scanning around them defensively. Reagan lowered her knife when she didn't see any threat, her golden orbs staring at the prison cells to her left. With a soft sigh, Reagan shook her head to her thoughts, _'Never thought this place would be so homey...'_

Her thoughts were knocked when rough footsteps hit the stairs and her eyes were drawn to see Rick and Daryl rushing up the steps to the top set of prison cells. She broke her gaze from them and walked further into the cell block, checking the cells along with Maggie to make sure no Walkers were occupying their depths. The only audible sound bouncing off the walls of the prison were their footsteps. No one dared say a word in the stale air until Rick deemed it completely safe.

Reagan stopped when she saw a prisoner's dead body lying on the ground in a cell in its own pool of dried blood. She let out a sigh and walked in, kicking the body in the chest to rouse a reaction as if it were a Walker. But yet, the body did not make a move and she backed out of the cell as quietly as possible.

She jumped when she heard a slam above her and backed all the way up, staring at the catwalk above her to see Rick and Daryl standing back, "Everything alright up there?"

"Just some locked up Walkers." Rick called back down, the loud echoes of their snarls causing everyone on the base ground to become uneasy.

But in a few short seconds, their snarls halted.

"Let's get these bodies out of here. This place is secure." Rick tossed Daryl the keys to the cells and Daryl began unlocking them to retrieve the bodies. Rick marched down the stairs and Reagan, T-Dog, Maggie, and Glenn all stood next to each other, waiting for Rick's next call.

"Reagan and Maggie, you guys run back to the rest of us and help with bringing in our supplies. Me, Daryl, T-Dog, and Glenn will start dragging these bodies out of here. We can rest up afterwards."

"Alright then." Reagan nodded and looked to Maggie, who tiredly turned around and walked back in the direction they came. Reagan tossed a look back at Rick and he only stared, Reagan turning to follow after Maggie.

"Alright everyone... its safe to come it." Reagan said as she pulled open the gate, Hershel staring at her through the thicket of his brows,

"You took out all the Walkers."

"Most of them for now." Reagan nodded and looked to Lori and the others, "Let's gather our things and hurry back. Faster we get our stuff in there the faster we can rest."

They all nodded back at her and walked towards their packed up camp, each of them grabbing their things to retreat into the prison. Reagan shouldered her backpack and gathered up her sleeping bag, her eyes glancing over to Lori, who struggled with her own items. Carl, Beth, and Hershel were already walking up the path towards the prison, Carol and Maggie's arms already full of their supplies. Reagan wrapped both her backpacks straps over her shoulder and walked towards Lori as she leaned up to stretch her aching back.

"Let me help you."

"No, no..." Lori shook her head with a smile while reaching down to grab a sleeping bag, "I've got it just fine."

"It's not a problem." Reagan said as she leaned down and grabbed a duffle bag, shouldering on one of her already occupied shoulders, "You shouldn't be straining yourself too much, for the baby's sake." Reagan nodded back down at Lori's protruding belly, Lori's hand unconsciously gliding over it.

"Alright... sorry." Lori said quietly and handed Reagan the sleeping bag in her hands. Reagan took a deep breath and saw the worry in Lori's eyes, Reagan's teeth gnawing on her bottom lip.

"It's going to be alright." Reagan said with a nod and Lori's big blue eyes stared at her widely, "We're finally going to get our break in somewhere secure. You, your family, and your baby will be safe."

"How can you be so sure?" Lori asked quietly and Reagan stared at her for a moment before nodding her head,

"I just know things..."

With that, the two women hauled up their load and stepped back towards the prison, their boots kicking about rocks on the dirt path. Reagan's feet finally connected with the concrete of the prison yard, her eyes staring over her shoulder to make sure there was nothing else left to gather up. Making two trips, for her, would be rather troublesome and she just wanted to get inside the large walls of the jailhouse. The old bullet wound in her shoulder began to throb from the mass amount of weight that dipped off her particular arm.

Lori pulled open the iron door for Reagan and she slipped inside the door sideways, almost tripping down the stairs on her trip. Lori managed to pull on her backpack to steady her, Reagan letting out a sharp huff and nodding back at Lori in thanks. The two stepped down the stairs beside each other and Reagan led Lori to the cellblock they had secured, everyone else already piled in and setting down their things.

"What do you think?" Rick's southern licked voice echoed throughout the block as he stepped down the small flight of stairs from the catwalk on the second floor.

"Home sweet home." Glenn mumbled while tossing a sleeping bag into the cell.

"For the time being..." Rick replied.

"It's secure?" Lori asked as she walked further in, her eyes staring at the second floor of cells above the first set as if looking for any sign of danger.

"This cell block is." Rick said as he stopped a few feet in front of the flooded group, Lori stopping and staring at her estranged husband. He watched as everyone stared at the cellblock silently, their minds thinking it was too good to be true.

"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel asked from the back of the group, Rick's eyes falling upon the older man,

"In the morning, we'll find a cafeteria and infirmary." Rick replied as he walked towards Hershel, all their eyes watching Rick as he stopped with his hands on his hips.

"We... _sleep_ in the cells?" Beth asked a bit skeptically and Reagan looked to her,

"Only place we really can sleep." Reagan dropped her backpack's strap from her shoulder, walking towards an empty cell while looking back at Beth, "A lot safer than sleeping on the cold concrete out here."

"Reagan found some keys on some guards..." Rick's hand fumbled with the keys on his belt that Reagan had found, "Daryl has a set, too."

"Well I ain't sleepin' in no cage." Daryl's raspy voice vouched and everyone looked up to him, his head nodding towards the top of the stairs, "I'll take the perch."

"Come on..." Carol said softly to Lori and led her towards the stairs.

From inside her cell, Reagan saw everyone disperse to their own chambers to rest up for the rest of the day and most likely into the night. Tiredly, her gold eyes settled on the old iron bunk bed in front of her and her fingers dropped her backpack to the floor, its contents landing with a heavy thud. She stared blindly at the small bed in front of her, her long legs stretching forward to bring her closer to the old, pale blue mattress. Her body gave out and it thumped onto the mattress, the bunks stand rattling from her sudden, abrupt weight.

She closed her eyes and let out a long, weary breath that brushed her bangs out from in front of her face. She wanted to rest her body in a more comfortable position, but her brain didn't bother to tell her limbs to move, it was just too exhausted. Slowly, her eyes opened and she stared at a few blood droplets on the wall, her lids blinking to bring her gaze to the floor. A small, very old, dry pool of blood stained the concrete floor and she groaned low in her throat, her fatigued neck managing to roll her face to towards the wall the bunk was set on.

Reagan's hand rubbed over her soft cleavage and she let out a deep breath, her hand sliding to her sore shoulder as she massaged it groggily. The relief of her sore muscles caused her eyes to shut, never to reopen from their intense heaviness. Her lips parted as they sucked in a deep breath, her sweaty body shutting down as he mind slowly succumbed to its unconsciousness.

Every single one of her stresses diminished in a subterranean slumber.

**.:o:.**

A bright light surfaced through one of the thin windows in the prison wall, the sun glaring through and finding its way to Reagan's face. She scrunched her nose and rolled over, trying to hide her tired face under the sliver of a shadow generated from the upper bunk. But it was all in vain.

The sun already did its damage and Reagan's eyelids cracked open, her mouth stretching open in a deep yawn. She rested her head on a wadded blanket again, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Her headache was gone, most of the soreness in her body disappeared, and she didn't feel like passing out after a few seconds of consciousness. Finally, for once in weeks, Reagan felt like an entirely new woman.

After being a watchdog with Rick or Daryl most of the nights that they kept themselves up in abandoned houses, shed, and even a few storage units here and there, Reagan barely got any sleep. The longest she had slept in a long time was a top of four hours, and since then, she was all but running on the fumes of a daily empty stomach. But she was used to it, after all. Her times of being a drug addict she would be up for days at a time running off the high of her destructive remedies.

Reagan lifted her body with her hands and groaned, rubbing her forehead and pressing her hair out of her face. Another yawn escaped her lips and she stretched out her body from the tips of her fingers all the way to her toes. A smile of sheer pleasure stretched across her lips as she finally let her body go limp, her legs lifting herself to her feet.

She pouted when she realized she was still in her boots, her tiredness hindering her from stripping out of her dirty clothing. With a huff, she grabbed a blanket and tossed it over the top of her cell door, closing it shut to get some privacy. Reagan had only woken up once throughout her lengthy slumber, remembering briefly that it was indeed night time when she woke for a few moments. If she lied awake then, she would have changed her clothes and taken off her boots to be more comfortable. But that was long past due.

Reagan tossed on a half sleeved shirt and pulled up a somewhat clean pair of shorts, securing the button and zipper around her waist. She then tossed her hair up on the back of her head with a black tie and let her hands slap against her thighs. The door to her cell squealed open as she pushed it, Reagan finally stepping out of her cell for what it seemed like days to her. With a deep breath, she turned towards the common quarters of the cell block, making way when she heard faint voices.

"Glad to see I wasn't the only one sleeping in." Reagan said as she eyed a few of her counterparts, namely Carol, Maggie, Beth, and Carl all sitting at a metal table.

"You kind of are." Maggie said with a smile and Reagan looked to her, turning towards a table and grabbing a water bottle before sitting down.

"Is that so?" Reagan asked, uncapping the water bottle and taking a hearty swig. Carol aimlessly rolled her spoon in a paper bowl, Reagan imagining that there was cold oatmeal inside,

"Lori is still in her cell resting."

"Good, she needs it the most out of all of us." Reagan took another drink of her water bottle, hunching over her knees and resting her body again. Her brow furrowed and she looked around the room, trying to find a few particular faces that were missing from the scene, "Where are all the boys?"

"They went to find the armory." Maggie leaned back on the table behind her bench, rubbing her fingers into the back of her neck.

"How long?"

"A couple hours." Carl said a bit disappointed and Reagan looked to him,

"They didn't take you along?"

"Dad gave me the task of looking out for everyone. He says that with the entire prison insecure there's no telling what might pop up."

"Good then. Now I know my life is in safe hands." Reagan smiled and stood up, taking another chug of her water before setting it down on the table behind her. Carl smiled to himself and looked to Beth, who sheepishly shrugged her shoulders with a sheepish smirk.

Reagan wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and sighed, looking around the commons until her eyes fell upon the big iron door behind her. "Did they go that way?" She asked while looking back at the group at the bench, Carol nodding in agreement,

"Yeah. They said they should be back anytime."

"Well I suppose I'll go scout around for them." Reagan turned back towards the cell block only to be stopped,

"That's not a very good idea to go by yourself." Carol stood up a bit worried and Reagan rolled her eyes, turning to face the older woman,

"I'll be fine by myself... I'm not going to go far, anyways." Reagan shook her head and turned back around, stalking back towards her cell, "Ignorant woman."

Reagan gathered up her pistol, slipping out her silencer and twisting it onto the edge of the barrel. Checking to make sure it was loaded, she slid her knife's sheath around her belt and then reached down, picking up her flashlight.

After leaving her cell, she went through the iron door of the commons and the darkness consumed her immediately. Clicking on her flashlight and holding up her pistol, she rested her flashlight hand over her pistol hand and watched warily in front of her, hearing nothing but random noises throughout the hallways. She slid through the narrow, black hallway, keeping her eyes and ears out for any abnormal sounds of enemy movement, not wanting to get caught up or cornered anywhere. She hated being in such a tight, small area without her scythe. It was her most trusted weapon.

A pack of voices caught her ears and she stopped, holding her breath to listen in closely. The first voice she could hear was Daryl and soon, Rick's deep voice found its way into her ear. Taking a deep breath, she pursued forward and winded through a couple hallways, her flashlight showing her the way. Finally, Reagan clicked off her flashlight once the dim light of a room in front of her greeted her, Reagan stopping in the doorway.

There they all stood, crouched down next to a doorway stuffing things in a bag. Reagan leaned on the doorway and rested a hand on her hip, her pistol hand dangling. She stared at them amused, "What goodies did you find today, boys?"

She startled T-Dog and Glenn, Hershel turning to her, Rick instantly at his feet, and Daryl pointing his crossbow between her eyes. She tilted her head and stared at Daryl's bolt pointed at her face, her chin giving him a soft nod, "You gonna pull that trigger Redneck?"

"Give me one reason not to..."

"Easy there, you two." Rick called and Daryl lowered his crossbow to the floor, glaring at Reagan.

"You should get a treat for listening to your master." Reagan mused with a smile while walking up to them, Daryl scoffing and shaking his head. She stared down at the items they were placing in a bag curiously, "So what do we have here?"

"Whatever's left of the armory..." Glenn said a little disappointed while staring at the half empty duffle.

"Better than nothing." Hershel reassured while staring at Glenn through the thicket of his white brows. Rick reached down and grabbed the handles of the duffle, pulling it up and motioning towards the door,

"You and Daryl lead the way... we're done here." He commanded politely and Reagan and Daryl gave each other glares before turning towards the doorway.

The two cavaliers led their offensive group to another room just outside the commons of their loving home of a cellblock, Rick calling for them to stop. T-Dog pulled up a table on the wall and Rick poured out all the weaponry they had found in the small armory, everyone's eyes glazing over the many items of weaponized hardware.

"I have to go talk to Maggie... I'll be back in a little bit." Glenn said and Rick looked to him,

"Don't be gone too long."

"I won't." Glenn reassured while shaking his head, his body turning to leave the room.

"Looks at all these little toys." Reagan said as she grabbed up a handheld grenade, studying the fabrication of it and the deadliness it held in such a small little casing. Everyone began to grab up the weaponry to study them all on their own.

"Not bad..." Daryl said as he slammed down a flashlight on the table, his hand instantly going for another handheld device on the platform.

"Flashbangs... CS triple chasers..." Rick studied a triple chaser in his hand and lifted it up above him, narrowing his eyes, "Not sure how they work on Walkers... but we'll take 'em."

Reagan eyed T-Dog checking out a pistol and Hershel stood humbly next to Rick, only staring down at the weapons. Reagan curiously reached out to a riot helmet that sat on the edge of the table, instantly regretting her decision.

Slime and some sort of mucus dripped out of the helmet once she tipped it right side up, her lip curling in a sneer, "That's fucking disgusting..." She scrunched her nose and tossed it back on the table once the smell hit her face. Wiping her hand on her shorts, the back of her other hand hit her face.

"I ain't wearin' that shit..." Daryl scowled at the helmet, taking a step back from the stench. T-Dog reached down and grabbed a glove from the table, tipping it right side up in the same manner Reagan did the helmet, grime sliding out of the destroyed glove.

"We could boil 'em..." T-Dog reasoned but Daryl shook his head at the idea,

"Ain't enough firewood in the whole damn forest, no!"

"I feel like I'm getting infected just looking at that nasty shit..." Reagan sneered, her eyes still staring at the helmet on the table. Daryl reached down and grabbed a police baton, swinging it like a bat,

"Besides... we've gotten this far without 'em."

"Reagan?" A female voice called and Reagan turned at the sound of her name, seeing Carol standing in the doorway of the small room, "Can you come here for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure." Reagan nodded and grabbed her pistol off the table, walking towards the doorway past Carol.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, nothin' to worry about." Carol smiled back at Rick before turning back after Reagan and following her.

"Something the matter?" Reagan asked as she walked back into the commons, staring at Carol as she shut the door. Carol reached her hand towards the cellblock door,

"Lori said she needed to talk to you. About the baby."

"Where is she?"

"In her cell up top." Carol replied and Reagan turned around, dropping off her pistol in her cellblock as she strode by.

Reagan quietly lifted herself up the flight of stairs to the long steel catwalk, her hand whirling her around the corner of the railing. She stopped when she finally saw Lori, who was hunched over her belly rubbing it anxiously. Reagan narrowed her eyes and stepped in, grabbing up an old stool in the corner and pulling it up.

"You needed to see me?" Reagan asked curiously, staring into Lori's worried eyes as she stared back up at Reagan. Her lips drew into a thin line and she let out a heavy breath, her blue eyes looking back down at her baby belly.

"I-it's the baby... I think I lost it." Reagan's brow furrowed once again and she placed her hand atop Lori's belly, Lori's hands moving out of her way.

"You haven't felt it move? At all?"

"No... nothing..." Lori breathed with the shake of her head, her body beginning to softly rock back and forth, "At first I thought it was exhaustion and malnutrition... but..."

"You haven't eaten?" Reagan asked and Lori only bowed her head, ignoring her question. There was a brief silence between the two women and Reagan broke it, "It's probably a good idea if you go eat."

"If we're all infected... then so's the baby." Lori said, brushing off Reagan's recommendations. Lori lifted her head to face Reagan, "So what if it's _stillborn_."

Reagan had only seen one stillborn baby in her short time of being a registered nurse. The woman who had given birth to it was absolutely hysterical with utter sadness. Reagan couldn't imagine the pain and agony she was going through to lose her first child, but that all came from the risks of trying to be a mom. Anything could happen.

"What if it's dead inside me? What if it's dead inside me right now and it rips me apart-!?"

"Shut up." Reagan demanded and stared at Lori hard, the worry in the expecting moms face clear, "Don't let your fear take control of you."

By this time, a couple tears managed to escape Lori's eyes and she sniffled, wiping them away quickly. Reagan leaned in closer to Lori as Lori rested her hands back down on her knees, "Okay... okay..."

"Let's say it lives..." Lori continued on, staring hard at Reagan, "And I die during childbirth."

"I won't let that happen."

"Why not...?" Lori asked thoughtfully with a small smile on her face, "How many women have died in childbirth before modern medicine?" Lori drew in a deep breath and stared at the floor for a moment, Reagan waiting patiently for what she was going to say next.

"If I come back..." Lori lifted her head to stare at Reagan once again, "What if I attack it? Or you? Or Rick... Carl? If I do-_if there's any chance_- you put me down immediately, you don't hesitate! Me, the baby-!"

"Easy now..." Reagan reassured while placing her hand on Lori's knee once Lori began to cry, "Getting upset is not good for you or the baby."

"If we're Walkers... you don't hesitate and you don't try to save us." Lori shook her head, eyeing Reagan determined, "Okay?"

Reagan hesitated for a moment, staring into Lori's watery eyes with a bit of dread. Just the thought of putting Lori down with a bullet, or even the unborn baby, made Reagan cringe with goose bumps. With a dry mouthful of air, Reagan's lips thinned out and she nodded at Lori in understanding. Lori shook her head and sniffled again, taking in a deep breath.

"It would have been better if-." She hesitated to finish her sentence but Reagan pried it out of her,

"If what?"

"If I didn't make it off the farm..." Lori let out her deep breath and gaped at the wall. Reagan shook her head,

"You're exhausted, Lori-frightened-..."

"Yeah, that's true. My son can't stand me... and my husband, after what I put him through since before we even met you..."

"We've all been carrying a weight like that." Reagan leaned up and clasped her hands in her lap, staring at Lori hard, "All winter long."

"I've tried to talk to him! But he-!" Lori's voice cracked and she rested her hand on her forehead, tears dripping off her jaw.

"He'll come around..." Reagan had noticed for quite some time that the marriage between Rick and Lori had been slipping. Every now and then she would unknowingly stumble upon Lori's one sided conversations with her husband, but Rick would brush her off and ultimately walk away. She had heard from Glenn and Maggie a few things or the other about the two, about what had happened between Rick and his best friend Shane, as well as the love triangle the three had shared.

Reagan was jealous of Lori in every way possible. Even if her bonds between them were slipping, Lori had a loving husband and a beautiful child, still alive and with her every step of the way. And even now, Lori was pregnant once again and waiting for another one to love and cherish. But for Reagan, all she had back in her old life were a couple boyfriends here or there, some one night standers, and a son that she watched grow up from afar under a shelter of strangers. But now, her son was dead and there was nothing she could do about it.

"He hates me..." Lori sniffled while staring back at Reagan from the floor, knocking Reagan from her thoughts, "He's too good a man to say it, but... I know. I put him and Shane at odds... I put that knife in his hand!"

Lori began to sob and Reagan's hard was being stabbed at with a searing needle. Even though she was a hardass most of the time, Reagan knew when she needed to feel sympathy for another person, "You know who doesn't give a shit about half of what you're talking about? That baby in your stomach..."

Lori couldn't help but laugh under her breath and Reagan leaned forward, prying at her, "Now, let's make sure everything's alright. Lay down on your bed."

Lori nodded and wiped away the rest of her tears, lying on her back and pulling up her cotton shirt. Reagan pulled the small stool in closer and rested her cold hands on Lori's belly, Lori flinching a bit from the sudden cold. Reagan smiled thinly at Lori and returned her attention to her belly, rubbing her hands across the hard, soft skin of the protrusion.

Reagan pressed her fingers into the skin of the belly, feeling for the baby inside. She could feel what she imagined the baby's legs were, moving her fingers about to feel the rest of the baby's body. A twitch retorted to Reagan's prodding and she leaned down, placing her ear on Lori's belly. Lori held her breath to steady it, giving Reagan some quiet time to listen to the insides of her body. Reagan closed her eyes and held her own breath, hearing the muffle sounds of Lori's blood pumping through her veins.

And inside, Reagan could hear a very calm, tiny heartbeat.


	10. Chapter 10

"With your pregnancy coming to its peak, that baby's movements will slow. By what you've been telling me, what you've said about not feeling it move, it seems that the baby should be here any day now." Reagan said as she stood to her feet, her hand grabbing onto Lori's as she helped her back up to sitting position on the bunk.

Lori rolled her shirt back down her pregnant stomach and nodded, wiping the back of her hand across her face, "Thank you very much." She smiled, her blue eyes staring at Reagan.

"Just let me know if you need anything else... if you have any more concerns."

"I will."

"And go downstairs for God's sake and eat something. It's not going to do your baby good if you starve it and yourself." They were Reagan's last words as she strode out of the prison cell.

Downstairs, she saw all the men had finally returned to the cell block and were now readying themselves for some sort of mission. Reagan's tied up hair bounced as she stepped down the metal stairs from the top floor, her eyes staring curiously, "What do we got going on here?"

"It's time to head further into the prison." Rick replied back to her as she stopped next to them, "We need to clear out our surrounding areas of Walkers."

"It looks like you're all getting ready for a battle or something." Reagan mused with a small smile as she watched T-Dog, Hershel, Glenn, and Maggie suit up in some old riot gear uniforms.

"Never know what you're in for." T-Dog said matter-of-factly back to her from over his shoulder. Maggie looked to Reagan as she tightened a strap on her chest piece,

"You comin' with us?"

"You know I can't give up that opportunity." Reagan smiled bigger and walked over to her cell, picking up her silenced pistol once again.

As she strode back out of her cell to greet the group again, Glenn walked up and handed her a chest piece to an extra set of riot gear. Reagan stopped and stared at it with a raised brow, her gold eyes staring at him, "What?" He asked a bit confused by her stare, "Is there something wrong with it?"

"No. I'm just not wearing it." Reagan said as she shook her head at him.

"Why not? Its extra protection."

"If I can't rely on your guys, or myself, to watch my back without this gear then I deserve to get bit."

"Not good enough for you, Princess?" Daryl said from beside her smugly, Reagan rolling her eyes and scoffing back at him,

"Eat me, Dixon."

"Maybe someday." Daryl retorted back at her and Glenn eyed the two sarcastic combatants before turning around to leave them to their bickering, "But I doubt you'll taste too good. I bet you're greasy."

"Yeah, and I bet you're just gonna taste like a sizzling steak yourself, huh?" Reagan barked back and T-Dog put up his hand,

"Can we stop talkin' about eatin' each other please? I guarentee we all taste like shit!" T-Dog's words managed to end Daryl and Reagan's quarrel and the two gave each other deadly glares before turning away from each other and returning to their tasks at hand.

"Alright everyone... let's go." Rick called over once he finished conversing with Carl, everyone instantly flooding out of the cellblock into the commons.

Reagan looked over her shoulder once she heard the cell door shut by Carl's hand, Rick hurrying towards everyone to get the mission over with. He brushed past Reagan and she followed his trail with her eyes, Daryl unlocking the iron door in front of them with his set of keys. Rick looked over his shoulder at Reagan and nodded towards him, Reagan pushing through everyone to get to him. She knew that he wanted her at his left, Daryl, his right, before descending into the darkness of the innards of the prison.

"Stay tight... we don't want to be losing anyone." Rick said one last time before pulling out his flashlights, "Keep your eyes open and your lights up."

On his word, all their flashlights were clicked on and one by one, they flooded in through the heavy iron door, not knowing what awaited them in the darkness.

Throughout the endless hallways, they came to another barred door and Daryl opened it as quietly as possible, the only thing causing them to curse under their breaths was the squeal it gave from its rusty hinges. They pushed through and Rick was at the head, his body stopping at yet another corner, his flashlight shining over the side and his eyes scanning for enemy movement. He waved his hand for them to follow and follow him they did.

Water dripping from the ceilings and a cold, clammy draft wafted throughout the large hallway they slowly walked through. With her flashlight hand over her pointed pistol hand, Reagan's flashlight darted back and forth through the hallway, her keen eyes warily keeping an eye on their surroundings. Her feet carefully stepped over dead, mangled bodies on the ground, careful to keep away from their mouths just in case the meaty skeletons decided they wanted a bite of her long legs. A cold sweat form the clammy draft broke out across Reagan's forehead and she avoided a stream of dripping water from the ceiling, not wanting to get wet from the stinking water.

All their flashlights synced together into one giant ball of light at the end of the hallway, Rick and Daryl now leading them around another corner to the next hallway. Reagan was surprised that they had not yet encountered any Walkers. But in the corridor they were in now, there were twice the dead bodies and with that came a nastier stench. Reagan coughed under her breath once taking a large whiff of the aging decay, but after a couple stiff breaths she managed to overcome the odor. Reagan's head turned over her shoulder at a loud hiss, her gun tight in her hand, but only saw that Glenn was spray painting a white arrow on the wall so they would be able to find their way back easily and safely.

Maggie let out a small shriek when she bumped into Glenn, everyone seizing and pointing their flashlights at the lovebirds just to make sure she was alright. Maggie nodded back at everyone, showing that she was fine and ready to pursue forward. Rick, Reagan, and Daryl poked their heads into the cells as they went by to make sure no Walkers would sneak up on them in their travels. But as they came to another corner, Rick stopped them and leaned over the side, pointing his flashlight down the hall to make sure it was clear.

Once clear, Rick led his group down the hallway slowly, their formation continuing to stay tight and secure. Glenn painted another arrow on the wall and hurried after the group as they moved, returning to his position and keeping his machete tight. Daryl bumped his crossbow against Reagan's shoulder and she looked to him, Daryl nodding his head to the next corner they would take. Reagan pointed her pistol and kept her flashlight tight over it, rushing around the corner. After not seeing anything hostile she nodded back at Rick and Daryl, their bodies moving from around the side to follow after her. By this time, they were walking round corners left and right as if they were in some experimental maze.

"Shit!" Reagan gasped, her mouth dropping as she jumped back, bumping into Rick in the process.

A group of Walkers, just out of arms reach, snarled back at Reagan's light as they rushed towards her.

"Go back! Go back!" Rick kept his voice silent as he pushed back against his group, their feet shuffling across the floors to try and turn around. Rick kept his hand tight on Reagan's arm as he pulled back, and with one yank, he hand her turned around, "Go back, move! Now!" Rick shouted at them this time.

The group was now like scrambling mice as they rushed through the hallways, trying to find the way back they came. Daryl's eyes kept close on the arrows that Glenn posted, the backwoodsman leading his group to wherever he thought was the safest way. Reagan kept close to everyone, her eyes darting back over her shoulder to see the Walkers keeping pace with them, their nasty vocals causing goose bumps to roll down her arms and legs.

Maggie shouted again and as Reagan looked, another large group of Walkers came barreling out of nowhere towards them. She heard Rick and Daryl shouting at everyone to follow them down the next hallway, Reagan not thinking twice as she followed her leader. Their voices and frantic flashlights darted about fearfully across the walls. Reagan almost tripped over a mangled body on the floor, her adrenaline catching her feet before she fell to an untimely demise.

They rounded another corner and Reagan heard a busload of snarls behind her, not even wanting to look back and see what they were up against now. She kept her flashlight drawn, pistol at her side, and her legs pumping as fast as she could go to keep up with the four men in front of her.

"Reagan!" A sharp voice called and hand reached out, snatching her and pulling her into a room. Reagan instantly went to one knee and found herself in a circled group along with Rick, Daryl, T-Dog, and Hershel. Maggie and Glenn were nowhere to be seen.

"God damn!" Reagan whispered harshly, "There's so many of them!"

"Where's Glenn and Maggie?" Rick asked, looking at the four in front of him.

"We have to go back!" Hershel's worried voice said and Daryl shook his head,

"But which way?"

"Play it by ear!" Reagan lifted her pistol and looked over the side of the caged room they were in, not seeing any Walkers nearby, "It's clear!"

They all stood to their feet and Rick pushed the door open quietly, keeping his eyes out for any stray Walkers. Reagan rushed along beside him with her pistol pointed out in front of her, and in one split moment, she pulled the trigger once a Walker jumped out from behind a wall. Her silenced bullet put the Walker to the ground and they paid in no mind, their legs only carrying them forward.

"Glenn, Maggie!" Hershel said as loudly, yet quietly as possible, his voice carrying throughout the hallways around them.

Rick stopped at a hallway and looked to Daryl, nodding at him to go forward. Daryl jumped out from behind the hallway, not seeing any Walkers and waving for them to follow. Reagan breathed shallow in her throat, shivers running up and down her spine. She absolutely hated prisons and she hated the darkness almost just as much.

Reagan nearly jumped out of her skin when a blood curdling cry echoed off the walls. Everyone froze for only a second as they stared at each other, noticing Hershel was missing.

"Hershel!" Reagan shouted and they all turned around, sprinting back the way they came, following the frantic wails.

"No!" Rick shouted and ripped out his Python upon seeing a Walker gnawing on Hershel's heel. Reagan's head boggled for a moment from the revolvers loud explosion, her ears ringing violently as she ran up to him. Hershel cried fearfully.

"No! Daddy!" Maggie and Glenn came rushing around the corner in front of them, Rick and Reagan kneeling down next to Hershel, "Daddy! Daddy!"

"Rick! We've got company!" Reagan jumped up to her feet and pointed her pistol, taking out only one of the numerous Walkers that hungrily stared them in the face.

"Daryl!" Rick shouted and Daryl immediately rushed forward, implanting a bolt in a Walkers brain to aid Reagan standing beside him.

"Move, move!" Rick demanded again, both he and Glenn finally wrapping Hershel's arms around their necks in frantic support.

"Down here! This way!" T-Dog waved his hand for them to follow and the group disappeared down a hallway, trying to go as quickly as possible with an injured Hershel.

Reagan and Daryl held up the rear, keeping a close eye on the Walkers that were ravenously pursuing after them. Hershel's blood and hysterical cries only fueled their gluttony, their stumbling feet moving faster and faster. Reagan pulled the trigger on her pistol numerous times, Daryl only firing one bolt, as their weapons dropped a few close Walkers, sparing them time in their escape.

"Get the door!" Reagan heard Rick shout and soon found herself bumped up against Daryl. She jumped to his side, looking over his shoulder to see T-Dog trying to break a set of cuffs wrapped around the doors handles.

"Open that god damn door!" Reagan's panic shout immediately caused T-Dog to break the cuffs chain with his fire stoke quickly.

They all burst through the door once it was opened and Rick and Glenn pulled Hershel in, helping him down to the floor. Reagan, Daryl, and T-Dog slammed the doors shut, their bodies lurching when the wave of Walkers slammed up against it with all their might.

"Reagan, Daryl, I got this!" T-Dog shoved his fire stoke through the handles of the door and the two quickly ran over towards Hershel's side.

Reagan ripped open Hershel's pant leg where he was bitten, Hershel's terrified cries echoing in the room. Blood seeped out of the bite wound just above Hershel's ankle, making Reagan's thoughts rush a million times a minute. Reagan looked to Rick, who was knelt down beside her, as he stared at the wound grimly, "We have to do what we talked about! Give me your belt, quick!"

Rick didn't take any time to debate her decision as he leaned up, his fingers fumbling for the belt around his waistline. He ripped it out of the belt loops and shakily handed it to Reagan, her hand snatching it from his quickly. Daryl held down Hershel's lower half as Reagan hastily tied the belt just above Hershel's knee, her hand pulling it as tightly as humanly possible.

"Rick!" Reagan looked to him as she tied off the belt, "Get the hatchet!"

Rick grabbed the handle of the cold hatchet, staring into Reagan's golden eyes in search for a better answer. She nodded at him and Rick licked his dry lips, putting his hand down on Hershel's leg, his heart beating rapidly against his chest, "There's only one way to keep you alive!"

Those were Rick's final words to Hershel as he lifted the hatchet up over his head, slamming it down onto Hershel's leg with all his strength.

Reagan watched the hatchet break halfway through Hershel's skin, her ears even hearing his tibia snapping under the blade. Hershel wailed out in pain and Maggie closed her eyes, not wanting to watch her father's limb being hacked off by a dull hatchet. Rick swung another handful of times, cracking through his fibula and finally severing the leg.

Reagan could feel Hershel's blood splattering all over her face and she gasped, watching as Rick shoved Hershel's now severed, infected leg away from him. He dropped the hatchet and leaned back away from the profusely bleeding stump, not believing what he had just done. Rick shakily got to his feet, staring with shock down at Hershel.

"He's bleeding out!" Reagan breathed and looked to Hershel's face, seeing that he had passed out from the pure shock he had just gone through. Through her fingers as she pressed against the wound, Hershel's blood trickled onto the floor.

"Duck!" She heard Daryl warn and looked to him, just as Rick ducked down and Daryl standing to his feet with his crossbow pointed. Reagan looked over her shoulder, her brown eyes widening.

There stood five men behind a caged window.

"Holy shit..." One of them breathed and Daryl quickly stepped around Hershel towards the men,

"Who the hell are you!?" Daryl barked challengingly.

"Who the hell are _you_!?" Another man behind the window mocked.

"He's bleedin' out, we gotta go back!" Rick looked back to everyone crouched next to Hershel, ignoring the situation unfolding behind him.

"We're not going to be able to carry him and protect ourselves at the same time!" Reagan replied, grabbing onto the pant leg that she had ripped off and pressing it against the bleeding stump. Rick looked to her,

"We'll figure something out!"

"Come on outta there, slow and steady!" Reagan heard Daryl say and she looked over her shoulder again.

"Maggie! Press on his wound!" Reagan called over and Maggie was quick to her side, "Hard!"

"Find something to carry him out on!" Rick ordered Reagan and Glenn, the two standing to their feet and searching throughout the room.

"What happened to him?" The Latino man in the group of prisoners asked as they slowly walked into the room, their eyes dead set on Hershel's condition.

"He got bit!" Daryl said and the Latino went for the gun in his waistband.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Daryl called and Reagan grabbed her pistol from the ground, pointing it at the prisoners, "Easy now! Nobody needs to get hurt!"

"Bad idea, boys." Reagan shook her head at the Latino pointing his gun back and forth to them, his dark eyes staring at her silenced pistol as well as T-Dog's that was now pointed at them as well.

"Do you have medical supplies!?" Glenn asked them, but didn't give them time to answer as he rushed past them in through the door they had come through.

"Woah!? Where you goin'!?" The biggest prisoner out of them all asked as Glenn hurried into their room.

"Who the hell are you people anyway!?" The Latino asked, his eyes flicking to the door once it lurched forward, the Walkers still trying to get inside.

"Don't look like no rescue team..." The only Caucasian prisoner said, his hands crossed over his chest.

"That's for us to know and for you to mind your own damn business!" Reagan barked back and the Latino looked back at her,

"What'd you just say to us, bitch!?"

"Reagan! We don't have time for this!" Rick ended her confrontation and tried to lift up Hershel's upper body, "If rescue's what you're waitin' for, don't!"

Rick tossed Hershel's arm around his shoulder and tried lifting him, "Come on, we gotta go!"

Glenn came barreling out of the doorway with a cafeteria gurney and abruptly stopped it next to Hershel. He helped Rick with Hershel, and on the count of three, the two lifted him onto the tabletop, slamming his body down.

"Let's go!" Maggie called and she and Glenn started wheeling him towards the door.

"Hey man, don't open that door!" One of the prisoners called, but T-Dog ignored him,

"We got this!" T-Dog pulled his fire stoke from the handles of the door and a Riot Walker pushed it open, T-Dog slamming the Walker up against the wall and lifting the mask of its helmet. The Walker plummeted to the ground once T-Dog ripped the stoke from its head, "Come on!"

"Reagan! Daryl!" Rick called for them, the two still standing off with the Latino prisoner. Slowly, Reagan and Daryl backed up towards the doorway, Reagan being the first to push off into the darkness with Daryl close in suit.

"Hurry! This way!" Glenn called just as Reagan and Daryl caught up with the group, the screeching wheels of the makeshift gurney spinning as they wheeled them.

"Go back! This way!" Rick pushed them all back when some Walkers came out from behind the corner.

Daryl implanted a bolt in a Walkers head just as he turned around, Reagan pushing past him and noticing one of the arrows staring back at her from the wall, "This way!"

"Come on!" Daryl shouted back at them once he noticed they were lacking behind. He watched Reagan's back carefully as she hurried forward, her eyes darting back at him every few seconds to make sure they were following her.

"Go, go!" Reagan waved for them once she deemed the hallway around the corner clear of hostility. With the gurney hot on her heels, Reagan desperately searched for the white arrows on the walls, "Come on, we're almost there!"

"Stop! Stop, stop!" Rick voiced quietly and the group came to an abrupt halt, seeing Rick's finger pointed down the hallway they came. The prisoner's shadows followed them against the walls,

"We can't lead them to the cellblock." Reagan said quietly and soon, the prisoners came rushing around the corner after them.

"Let's just go!" Rick shoved at the gurney again and Reagan turned around, keeping her eyes close on everyone behind her as she led them back to the cellblock the best she could.

Finally, they came to the door they were all desperately searching for and Reagan called up Daryl. Daryl quickly opened the door with his key and shoved the barred entrance open, moving out of the way for the gurney.

"He's losing too much blood!" Maggie said and Rick's voice bellowed throughout the commons of the cellblock,

"Open the door! It's Hershel, Carl!"

"Oh my god!" Carol shouted at the sight of Hershel once Carl opened the door, Rick, Glenn, Maggie, and T-Dog all rushing in.

Reagan looked at her arm and chest stained in blood, her chest heaving in pants as she stood in the commons. Looking over her shoulder, she knew it would only be a matter of time before the prisoners would catch up to them. The look in the Latino's eyes made her wary at what he would do if he showed up. She then turned around and walked back through the door, her pistol hand a bit shaky from all the adrenaline throbbing through her veins.

Daryl had one foot propped up on a bench with his crossbow pointed at the door, his eyes waiting, just waiting for the prisoners to walk through. He heard footsteps behind him and saw Reagan stepping in cautiously, her eyes only staring at the door and barely acknowledging his presence.

"Shouldn't you be helping Hershel?"

"Can't take on all five of them alone, can you?" Reagan replied rather calmly and then nodded her head at the door, "They're coming..."

Slowly, the Latino, who seemed to be the chosen leader of their group, stepped into the room, eyeing both Reagan and Daryl. The others walked in slower behind him, taking a few looks around the room before staring back at the strangers baring their weapons at them.

"That's far enough." Daryl warned and the prisoners stopped, the Latino's black eyes staring Daryl through,

"Cell block C? Cell four, that's mine, gringo! Let me in."

"Today's your lucky day, fella's." Their eyes shifted to Reagan, who now pointed her silenced pistol at them, "You've been pardoned by the state of Georgia, you're free to go!"

"What you got goin' on in their?" The Latino asked, but Daryl answered instead of Reagan,

"That ain't none of your concern."

"Don't be tellin' me what's my concern!" The Latino shook his head and ripped his small black revolver from his pant line challengingly. Reagan stepped forward to where she was only feet from him, the barrel of her pistol now pointed right between his eyes.

"Come on man, the dude's leg is messed up!" The largest prisoner said and shook his head, "Why we still in here?"

"Man's gotta point..." Daryl growled back at them.

"I gotta check on my old lady!" One of the African American prisoners said and the Latino only stared at Daryl,

"Group of civilians breaking into a prison you got no business bein' in?" His dark eyes shifted to Reagan, "Got me thinkin' we got no place left to go."

"Why don't you go find out for yourself, _cholo_?" Reagan bit back and the Latino's eyes narrowed,

"Got quite the little lip on your fine ass." He replied and turned more towards her, "Bet your mouth does more than just spit out words."

"Maybe we'll just be goin' now..." The small Caucasian man said and the Latino snarled back at him,

"We ain't leaving!"

"And you ain't comin' here, neither!" T-Dog came bustling from around the corner and the Latino's pistol hand shot up at him. He froze when he felt Reagan's extended silencer press up against his temple,

"That'll be a bad idea on your part, _essay_."

"This is my house, my rules, I go as I damn well please!" The Latino whipped around and now pressed the barrel of his revolver into Reagan's forehead. She stood poised and confident even though there was a gun to her head,

"Put it down man!" T-Dog warned and Daryl was off the table, walking up towards the Latino. He only laughed,

"The bitch wants to play this game, I'll play!"

"Easy guys," Reagan looked over at Daryl and T-Dog from the corner of his eyes, a crooked smile sinking into her cheek, "This asshole ain't got the pussy big enough to shoot me in the head."

"You're not in the position to be spittin' off your _puta_ mouth!"

"Harsh words." Reagan's brown eyes stared back at him, "Too bad I'm not scared of your lanky ass, _vato._"

"Step back before you find your ass skin deep with my foot in it!" Daryl warned loudly and the Latino only laughed to himself, his barrel still pointed against Reagan's skull, and her gun, his.

"Ain't no way! Make one move and this bitch's brains will be paintin' the walls!"

"Ain't nothin' left for your asses here!" Daryl barked and his arms shook with anticipation to pull the trigger, "Why don't you go back to your own sandbox-!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Rick shouted as he ran into the room, his eyes widening a bit to see Reagan's head pressed against the stranger's gun, "Reagan! Back off..."

Reagan narrowed her eyes and grinded her teeth, hesitating to back off. She heard Rick say her name again and slowly, she pulled her gun off the man's temple and walked backwards. With her guns still aimed and him, and he, her, Reagan looked over at Rick, "These boys gotta problem."

"Everyone, just back off! There's no need for this..." Rick's eyes met with Reagan briefly before he looked back at the Latino, who now pointed his gun at Rick,

"How many of you are in there!?"

"Too many for you to handle..." Rick narrowed his eyes and slowly, his head turned back to Reagan, "Reagan... go help Hershel. He needs you now."

"You sure you can handle all these guys by yourselves?"

"I've got it covered..." Rick reassured with a soft nod, his blue eyes smoldering back at the Latino's gun pointed at his head.

Reagan hesitated once again but gradually, she lowered her gun as she took a few steps back. On the heel of her boot, she turned back towards the cellblock behind her and hurried her way to the door. Carl opened it once he saw her, Reagan tossing him a quick smile as she rushed through the door. She heard it slam again behind her and everyone's eyes shifted to her, their bodies crowded in and around Hershel's cell. Carol and Glenn moved out of her way and she knelt down next to the bottom bunk, seeing Hershel's stump wrapped and clumped with towels.

"Are there anymore medical supplies?" She asked, her eyes looking at everyone from over her shoulder.

"No..." Carol breathed with the shake of her head, "Most of it is gone."

"Dammit..." Reagan huffed, her eyes looking Hershel over as she got to her feet. She leaned over Hershel's mouth with her ear, hearing him breathing slowly and shallowly. Her fingers pressed into his jugular. There was barely a pulse.

"There's nothing more we can do for now." Reagan said as she finished up her quick examination of Hershel's condition.

"Nothing? Nothing at _all_?" Beth squeaked behind her worryingly and Reagan stood back up, turning to face her,

"Not at this moment... it's just a matter of playing the waiting game right now."

**.:o:.**

Rick and the others were gone for a long while.

Reagan sat quietly in Hershel's cell, her bloody arms crossed over her chest carelessly as she leaned against the wall behind her. Glenn, Maggie, Beth, Carol, and Lori all stood around, watching Hershel alongside Lori in hopes that he would just wake up. But he didn't.

His chest rose and fell in conflicting motion's, his breathing unsteady and shallow. Reagan kept a close eye on him, just in case he stopped breathing and she would have to preform resuscitation. Her eyes then moved to his stumped leg, the towels and rags all cramped around the wound now soaked in blood. With a deep sigh, Reagan pulled the small stool she sat on forward next to his bedside, everyone behind her watching closely.

Reagan pulled a few of the soaking wet towels away from the wound, watching as more blood poured out, but not as much as it had before.

"Need more towels?" Lori asked from behind her and Reagan nodded,

"Please." She said and Lori handed her a white towel, Reagan grabbing it and pressing it tightly against the wound.

"It'll stop eventually... right?" Carol asked with worry in her eyes and Reagan shook her head,

"It's slowed down quite a bit already... but I doubt it'll stop completely here soon." Reagan side and almost ran her hand through her now untied hair before she stopped, noting the copious amount of blood plasters on her skin, "If I had a couple medical tools I would try to tie off the veins..."

"If we get him through this-."

"When we get him through this." Lori corrected Carol and she stared at Lori meekly before looking back at Hershel,

"We're gonna need crutches..."

"Right now, we could use some antibiotics or pain killers." Reagan brushed off Carol's words and fixed the towels on Hershel's leg to fit better, "There's gotta be an infirmary here somewhere... hopefully Rick and the others will find it wherever they went."

"You gotta be worried sick to deliver the baby..." Carol sighed while staring down at Hershel. Lori looked over at her,

"Look at me... do I look worried?"

"You look disgusting..." Carol smiled and both the women laughed,

"So do you..."

"Let's take off his chest piece. I think it's hindering his breathing." Reagan said and lori moved towards his torso, Reagan next to her as she unstrapped the chest piece to his riot gear. Together, both of the women pulled the piece over his head, Reagan hearing footsteps and looking over her shoulder to see Glenn and Maggie moving outside the cell.

"Slowly now." Reagan eased the chest plate over Hershel's head and Lori took it from her hand. Reagan and Carol lifted up his body somewhat while Lori pulled the chest piece off his body fully.

"There... that should make him more comfortable." Lori said while tossing the chest piece to the floor, wiping her bloody hands on her pant legs.

"Hopefully." Reagan replied.

"Foods here!" Reagan heard T-Dog's voice echo and she stared at Lori with surprise, the three of them rushing back out of the cell to see the cellblock door opening. T-Dog and Rick stepped through the doorway with big bags and boxes full of food wrapped in their arms.

"Canned beef! Canned corn! Canned cans!" T-Dog said with a smile as he hauled two boxes full of cans into the cell block, "And there's a lot more where this came from!"

"Any change?" Rick asked as he stopped next to Reagan and Lori,

"Bleeding is under control and no fever." Reagan nodded at him, "But... his breathing is labored, his pulse is way down, and he hasn't opened his eyes yet."

"Take my cuffs, put them on him..." Rick wheeled himself around towards Reagan and she exchanged hesitant glances with Lori. Reagan sighed and reached at Rick's belt, grabbing his handcuffs from their designated holster, "We're not taking any chances."

Once she slipped the cuffs from his belt, Rick walked away to store the food in the farthest cell on the bottom floor. Lori patted Reagan's shoulder and walked after her husband, Reagan nodding and turning back into the cell to Hershel's side. Reagan leaned down and grabbed Hershel's wrist, pulling it above his head and snapping one of the cuffs around it. She then clicked the other cuff around the bed post of the bunk, tugging on it to make sure it wouldn't budge.

"Reagan, what are you doing?" Glenn asked as he stared at the cuffs hooked on the bedpost, Maggie staring from behind her companion. As Reagan looked to the two, she saw Rick and T-Dog already leaving towards the cellblock door, Carl shutting it behind them.

"It's just a precaution..." Carol replied to Glenn in the absence of Reagan's. Maggie took a deep breath and let it out slowly, rubbing her face tiredly with her hand.

"Do you think maybe, I could have a minute alone, here?" She asked quietly and politely, Reagan nodding back at her humbly.

"Of course..." She looked back down at Hershel briefly before walking towards the door, "Just call for me if anything happens, alright?"

"Did you want me to... uh?" Glenn stammered and Maggie shook her head at him, her red eyes still watery,

"No... just by myself." She said and Glenn walked past her, pecking a kiss on her cheek before he left. Reagan pushed at Carol to leave and slowly, they finally all flooded out to leave Maggie to her dormant father.

Reagan waited patiently outside the cell, her head leaning back on the wall as her gold eyes stared up at the ceiling. She closed them and let out a long breath, hearing Maggie's quiet whispers to her father echoing out of the cell only a few inches before disappearing. With the dried blood on her hand, she rubbed her face tiredly and brushed her wavy dirty blonde hair out of her eyes. Her fingers then dug into her eyes and pressed against her sinuses, trying to already relieve an oncoming headache.

The suddenly strong smell of Hershel's blood on her hands wafted into her nostrils, only fueling the headache to brew in her mind faster. She groaned and opened her eyes, a rush of vertigo making her a bit wobbly. But she shook her head of the illness and took a deep breath, staring at Glenn across from her, who stood in the same manner she had.

After about twenty minutes, Maggie finally left her father's cell, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Her green eyes looked to Reagan and she nodded, Reagan pulling off the wall and walking back to her designated stool in the cell. After taking a seat, she put her hand on Hershel's chest, barely feeling the shallowness of his breath blowing up the lungs in his ribs. Her lips drew into a thin line as she stared at him, her eyes narrowing. Her and Hershel didn't talk too much, but with his wisdom he spoke to everyone most of the time, she highly respected him. She had grown fond of the group she now protected and would do anything in her power to keep them all safe. But right now, she doubted herself in her ability to save the dwindling man before her.

"How's he doing?" Lori asked and Reagan looked to see that everyone was beginning to flood back into the cell. Reagan shook her head and sighed,

"Same... his breathing is started to get a bit shallower though."

"That's not good..." Lori sat down next to Reagan, a grim look on her face.

There was a deep silence amongst everyone as they waited patiently for some kind of response from Hershel. Reagan heard a click and looked over at Glenn, who leaned in the doorway, as he twirled a handheld pocket watch in his hands.

Reagan wondered what Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog were up to and the antics that they and the prisoners were in for at the moment. She half wished that she had gone with them. She had unfinished business with the cocky Latino that headed the prison group. But alas, Rick wanted her to stay by Hershel's side, so stay there she did. They needed her nursing knowledge more than they needed her weapon experience. Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog could handle their own.

A squealing door opened, causing Reagan to look up.

"I thought you were organizing the food?" Glenn asked from the doorway, peering out at the person who had entered the cell block.

"Even better." She heard Carl's voice say and Reagan sat up straight to face the young man when he tossed a duffle bag towards her, "Check it out."

The duffle bags flaps opened and Reagan's eyes about popped out of her head at the heavenly sight. Carol and Lori gasped, their hands reaching out to grab up the equipment. The bag was fully loaded with sterile, clean gauze, bottle of peroxide and rubbing alcohol, pain medications, antibiotics, ace bandages, and various ointments.

"Where did you get this all?" Reagan breathed as she grabbed up a handful of gauze, staring into Carl's blue eyes. He smiled back at her,

"Found the infirmary." He said confidently and Reagan grabbed an ace bandage, pulling the old towels away from Hershel's wound and pressing gauze against it, "Wasn't much left but... I cleared it out!"

"You went by yourself?" Reagan heard Lori ask with surprise, but kept her eyes set on Hershel's wound as she wrapped it.

"Yeah." Carl shrugged his shoulders, thinking nothing of it.

"Are you crazy!?" Lori replied a bit more hysterically, not believing what her son had done on her own.

"No big deal, I killed two Walkers!"

"Alright, do you see this!?" Lori asked while motioning around the room at everyone, including Hershel, "This was with the whole group!"

"We needed supplies so I got them!"

"I appreciate that but you can't-!"

"Then _get off my back_!" Carl bit back harshly and Reagan finally reeled around,

"Carl!" She barked and Carl looked to her, "She's your mother, you can't talk to her like that!"

Carl only stared at Reagan, his face getting tighter the longer he stared. Lori shook her head and looked to her son, "Listen... I think that it's great you-."

Before she finished her sentence, Carl stalked out of the cell with his blood boiling.

Lori sighed and looked to Reagan, who had nothing else to say and returned to wrapping up Hershel's leg. Lori rubbed her face and watched Reagan finishing the dressing, just like everyone else, and Reagan felt a bit uncomfortable under everyone's stare. She swallowed hard and tucked the end of the wrap into itself, pulling back and taking a deep breath to herself.

"Well... at least something clean is on it now." Reagan slapped her hands down on her knees and looked over her shoulder at Maggie and Beth, "He definitely has a greater chance of pulling through now."

Reagan stood to her feet without another word, her throat feeling suddenly dry. Her leg crumpled and Lori narrowed her eyes once Reagan caught herself, Lori quickly getting to her feet, "Honey, you alright?"

"Yeah." Reagan answered back with a nod of her head, "I'm gonna go sit down and drink some water in the commons for a bit. Keep an eye on him... I'm just out of ears reach."

"Alright well... be careful out there. You're not looking too good." Lori replied and Reagan only left the cell.

Reagan shakily walked into the commons, finding her dirty water bottle she drank out of earlier still sitting at the table. She plopped herself down on the bench and hunched over the table, feeling the queasiness of her stomach rolling up her spine. Her body shook and she quickly uncapped her water bottle, taking a large swig and licking her lips clean. The water gave her body refuge and she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly while she rested her forehead on her hand. All the stress was finally getting to her. She never felt so relied on before and frankly, it was a bit overwhelming for her.

It was almost as overwhelming as taking care of Lori and the unborn baby. Being tasked with such a big handful of taking care of Lori, checking up on her, and making sure she was as healthy as humanly possible was all just a lot to do. She didn't want to do it at first, but Rick had finally conned her into doing it. Sure, Hershel would've been the next candidate to do so, but he was only a veterinarian who had taken care of plenty of _animals_ in his lifetime. But then there was Reagan, a woman who had gone to nursing school not only to be a registered nurse, but to be a nurse to work in the birthing center of the Atlanta hospital.

Reagan cursed mentally to herself at the thought of it.

But at the same time, it was all a bit exciting to do. She had only witnessed a few births and checkups from expecting mothers, mostly watching from the background of the more experienced nurses. But now that she had a more hands on approach with Lori, Reagan was a bit happy in waiting for the birth.

"Reagan!" A sharp shout echoed throughout the cellblock and Reagan's eyes burst open, her head cocking towards her name.

At the urgency, she jumped up from her seat in a rush only to stumble from the sudden vertigo that overtook her head. She leaned on the wall and grabbed her head, trying to steady herself so she could walk properly. Smacking her forehead with her hand, she growled to herself and pushed forward without waiting, finally getting her blurry vision to focus as she jogged through the cellblock door.

"What's going on!?" She called and stopped at the cell door, seeing Lori hunched over Hershel's face, her hands on his chest.

"He stopped breathing! Daddy stopped breathing!" Beth replied back to her frantically and Reagan soon watched Lori pull back, pumping her hands down on his chest. She had already begun CPR.

"Everyone, step back!" Reagan pushed through the crowded cell and they pulled out of the cell, watching in horror as Lori continued to pump at Hershel's chest. "You got this Lori!?"

"Yes!" Lori panted as she pushed back down to Hershel's lips, breathing in more air and inflating his lungs. Reagan stepped back and watched intently, Lori's hands pushing heavily down on Hershel's chest in order for him to come back to life. Reagan did not interfere. She knew Lori was doing the CPR the right way.

"Come on!" Lori huffed as she pressed down on Hershel's chest one last time, her mouth returning to his for another deep breath.

Hershel's body lurched up and his hand wrapped around Lori's back, Beth screaming when she saw her father jump. Reagan jumped forward and yanked Lori back from his grasp, Reagan standing in front of her defensively as Hershel thrashed about. With her eyes wide, she stared at Hershel's blue eyes darting about the room, his mouth gaping in a huge, deep breath as he lied back down on the bed. Finally, he settled back down on the mattress and closed his eyes again, his arms going limp as he passed out once again.

"You alright?" Reagan asked as she wheeled around to face Lori, Lori's face frightened and her eyes staring widely at Hershel's now dormant self. Reagan grabbed Lori's chin roughly and pulled at it to face her, "Lori!?"

"I'm fine!" She breathed and then ultimately nodded her head in Reagan's grasp, "I-I'm fine... he didn't hurt me..."

"Good!" Reagan huffed and let go of Lori's face, turning her head and staring at Hershel as if he didn't even move a muscle. Reagan then looked over at Carl, who returned to the doorway, his pistol pointed at Hershel shakily in his hands, "Carl... put the gun down."

Carl's blue eyes managed to tear themselves from Hershel to Reagan, who had her hand out towards him. She pushed the gun down in his hand and finally, he lowered it coolly and let out his held breath.

**.:O:.**

Rick walked through the commons of cellblock C, his face and hands bloody from numerous Walker kills, and even a few humans.

He had split Tomas' skull in two with his own machete after Tomas attempted to kill him just by throwing a Walker on him during their fight in the laundry room. Lucky for him, Daryl was quick on his feet and killed the Walker before it managed to bite him. After that, Rick's last thread of trust with the prisoners was snapped and he couldn't let them live. He couldn't take that chance with the dangerous men around his family.

He had only let two of the prisoners live after they pleaded for their life. The small Caucasian man Axel, and one of the black males, Oscar. Rick told them that if they ever laid foot in his territory without permission, he would not hesitate to blow their brains out.

Daryl opened the cellblock door and Rick was the first to step in, seeing Glenn and Carl standing in the doorway of Hershel's cell. Curiously, he strode up to them to check on his old friend's condition, "Hershel stopped breathing..." He heard Carl say and looked to his son, "Mom saved him."

"It's true..." Glenn said as Rick stopped next to them, Rick's eyes moving into the cell where he saw Lori standing at the edge of the bunk, staring at Hershel and Reagan still sat by his side.

"Still no fever..." Lori said to her husband and Rick gave her another acknowledging glance before stopping next to Reagan and kneeling down by Hershel's head.

Hershel's mouth then moved and almost everyone in the cell went on alert. Reagan stood up and out of the way as Maggie moved forward towards her father. Reagan stood in the corner and crossed her arms, Maggie sitting on the edge of the bed and placing her hand on Hershel's chest. His face twitched in another few, small movements and soon, his eyes began to dance behind his eyelids. Slowly, Hershel's bright blue eyes opened and blinked, his chest rising in a deep breath he took from his nostrils. Lori pushed off the wall and stared in awe, leaning down and looking through the end of the bunk at the older survivor.

Rick immediately stared over at Reagan and their eyes met, Reagan smiling in amusement at the bewilderment in Rick's eye.

"Daddy...?" Maggie's voice was soft and Hershel's eyes flickered to her face as she hovered over him.

"Daddy!" Beth smiled and knelt down next to his bunk, Hershel's eyes slowly blinking as he gathered his surroundings.

Rick leaned down and pressed the key into his handcuffs, ripping them off Hershel's wrist to give him mobility. With the wrist he had now un-cuffed, Hershel raised his hand towards Rick and Rick took it in his, a hearty smile sprouting on Rick's lips. Rick knelt down next to Hershel and looked to Beth and Maggie by him, their eyes wet with joyful tears.

Reagan smiled and turned out of the cell, wanting to take a breather from the overwhelming emotions crowding around all in one room. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, leaning her hot forehead on the cold concrete wall. A pair of footsteps caught her ears and she turned over to see Lori exiting the cellblock, her hand rubbing on her belly like normal.

"Reagan..." She heard her name being called and saw Rick approaching, Reagan swiveling around to face him. She saw blood splattered all over his face, wondering what had happened to make him that way.

"Thank you... for watching over him. Keeping him alive." He nodded at her and she smiled, looking past him,

"I did what I could with what I had..." Reagan's eyes soon brought themselves back to Rick, "But I'm not the one you should be thanking. Your wife brought him back to life when he stopped breathing... I wasn't in the cell at the time."

"Where were you?" He asked a bit skeptically.

"I felt like passing out so I went to get some water... took a few moments to myself. It was becoming a bit overwhelming for me." She saw a glint in his eye and before he had a chance to ask another question, Reagan nodded her head to where Lori had run off to, "Anyways... you should go talk to Lori. She ran off that way."

Rick stared at Reagan for another few moments, wanting to thank her again for holding down the fort while he was gone. But he knew she wouldn't take the credit lightly, so he only nodded back at her and walked out of the cellblock to look for his wife.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: This was actually the chapter that I was looking most forward to writing. I think it really brings out a new side of Reagan's character.**

**This next week I have a friend coming to visit for a week so I probably won't update until she goes back home!**

**Review and enjoy please :)**

Reagan jumped out of the silver Dodge and slammed the door shut after pulling it into the prison yard. She kept out of the way as Hershel's red and grey Chevy made its way through the set of gates around the sideways bus. As soon as the way was clear, Reagan made her way towards Rick and Daryl, who stood by the bus and watched as Carol jumped out of the Chevy and walked towards them.

It had been two days since their run in with the prisoners.

Daryl had explained briefly what had happened to them all to Reagan on their post that night. After Tomas, the Latino prisoner she had beef with, had blatantly tried to kill Rick by tossing a Walker on him, Rick had ended his life with a swift machete to the head. Andrew, the smaller black prisoner, had taken off through the prison and Rick pursued after him like a predator, locking him outside in a yard on the other side of the prison full of Walkers. Big Tiny had his head smashed in by Tomas after he was scratched heavily by a Walker, and the other remaining prisoners, Axel and Oscar, were given a second chance and told to stay in their designated cell block or risk being shot down. So far, they hadn't seen any sign of them since.

"Okay, let's get the other car in..." Rick said and Reagan looked over to the Hyundai still parked in the corridor of fencing, "We'll park them in the western yard."

"Good. With 'em parked out there it looked like a giant vacancy sign..." Daryl said as he tossed a chain down next to the back end of the overturned bus.

"After that... we need to load up these corpses and burn 'em." Rick pointed about at a few Walkers as he stepped a few feet up the long, dirt driveway.

"It's gonna be a long day..." T-Dog said as he stopped and Reagan let out a deep sigh,

"Yeah... you can say that again." Her gold eyes glazed over the numerous corpses littering the court yard around them. She then hooked her hands on her hips, a soft breeze lifting up the lip of her shirt and brushing against her lower belly, "Where's Glenn and Maggie? We could use the help."

"Up in the guard tower..." Daryl pointed up at the tower as he stopped next to Reagan. All eyes were now on the standing concrete pillar.

"The guard tower? They were just up there last night!" Rick looked back at Daryl briefly and Carol crossed her arms,

"Wonder what they could be doin'."

"I got some idea." Reagan slyly smiled to herself and both she and Daryl exchanged eye contact.

"Glenn!" Daryl shouted, his hand cupped over his mouth as it caused his voice to bounce off the guard tower loudly, "Maggie!"

Reagan continued to smile to herself as her hand brushed across her nose, a few moments passing before the door to the top of the tower opened. Glenn stepped out, shirtless by what Reagan could see, and called back to them while fumbling with his pants, "Hey! What's up guys!?"

The group on the ground all laughed amongst each other, Daryl placing his hands on his hips, "You comin'!?"

"What!?" Glenn shouted back and Reagan chuckled under her breath, shaking her head and placing her face in her hand. They all continued to laugh at Glenn's senselessness and obliviousness to what they were all chuckling at.

"You comin'!?" Daryl shouted again and Reagan laughed, bumping Daryl with her elbow and nodding back at the vehicles. Hearing no answer from a confused Glenn, Daryl tossed up his hand, "Come on! We could use a hand!"

"Yeah! W-we'll be right down!" Glenn called back as the rest of them turned around the ready for their busy day ahead.

"I remember when I was young like that..." Reagan mused with a laugh and Daryl looked down at her,

"I don't even wanna think about that."

"Then don't." Reagan smiled back and grabbed onto the door handle of the Dodge Ram, opening it to get inside.

"Hey Rick..." T-Dog called back to him and Reagan looked over her shoulder at T-Dog, seeing him staring up at the gates next to the guard tower.

Her eyes soon fell upon the only remaining prison members standing at the top of the dirt driveway.

Rick's face turned deadly and his legs marched across the gravel driveway, his eyes darting to Reagan and nodding at her to follow, "Come with me..." Rick said to Daryl and T-Dog, the four of them making their way quickly towards the two prisoners.

Reagan kept her eyes dead set on the two, who stood humbly as if nothing were wrong with the situation. By what Daryl told Reagan, the two were not to step _one_ foot near their secured cellblock or there would be hell to pay. Reagan's eyes moved to Rick, seeing his back tense and high on alert as he stalked towards the men.

"That's close enough!" Rick barked at Axel and Oscar, their feet stopping on the concrete of the prison yard once hearing Rick's deadly tone. Axel seemed a bit timid, trying to avoid Rick's gaze and Oscar stood confident in the presence of the five now in front of him, "We had an agreement."

"Please, mister!" Axel replied meekly to Rick, "We know that, we made a deal! But you gotta understand, we can't stay in that place another minute, you follow me!? All the bodies... people we knew! Blood... brains everywhere. There's ghosts!"

"Why didn't you just move the bodies out?" Reagan shrugged her shoulder at them, eyeing Glenn and Maggie who had exited the guard tower and now stood behind Axel and Oscar.

"You should be burnin' 'em." T-Dog said and Axel shook his head, becoming a bit distraught,

"We tried! We did!"

"The fence is down outside the prison... every time we drag a body out, those _things_ just line up!" Oscar explained with a small shake of his head, "We'd pull out a couple of bodies and run back inside."

"Look!" Axel shouted, hastily stepping towards Rick while trying to make a point, "We had nothin' to do with Tomas or Andrew, _nothin'!_"

"Easy there, Ponyboy." Reagan took a couple steps forward, Axel halting in his steps upon seeing her approach. He swallowed hard and ignored her hard stare, looking back at Rick and continuing warily,

"You tried to prove a point? Well, you proved it bro! We'll do whatever it takes to be part of your group but please... _please_ don't make us live in that place..."

"Our deal is nonnegotiable..." Rick replied without deliberation and Axel's gaze dropped to the ground in defeat, "You either live in your cellblock or you leave."

"I told you this was a waste of time..." Oscar looked over at Axel and then to Rick, his eyes narrowing, "They ain't no different than the pricks who shot up our boys. You know how many friends' corpses we had to drag out this way? Just threw them out like..." Oscar paused and looked at Daryl and Reagan, shaking his head, "These were good guys! Good guys who had our backs against some really bad dudes like Tomas and Andrew. Now we've all made mistakes to get in here_ chief_... and I'm not gonna pretend to be a saint, but believe me... we paid our due; enough that we would rather hit that road than go back into that shithole.

There was a few seconds of a staring standoff between Rick and Oscar before Rick took a couple steps back. Slowly, Rick turned halfway to Reagan and Daryl standing next to each other, the two knowing exactly what he wanted from them. Daryl shook his head at Rick, Rick knowing that he didn't trust the prisoners before him. His blue eyes then looked to Reagan, her gold eyes set in turmoil. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, her arms crossing as she looked back at the prisoners. Axel seemed harmless enough in her eyes and she could take him easily if something were to happen, but Oscar on the other hand, Oscar was big and heavy set with plenty of muscle. He would prove rather difficult.

Reagan shook her head back at Rick as well, not thinking it would be a very good idea to let them join the group. They were too unpredictable.

Rick took their decisions into his own and looked back to Oscar's dark, awaiting eyes, "Our deal stands... there's no more negotiation."

"Then I guess that means we'll be hittin' the road..." Oscar raised his chin with pride and Axel looked to him as if he were insane, clearly not wanting to leave the safety of the prison.

"Fine then... we'll guide you out of the courtyard." Rick said and pointed down towards the overturned bus, "After you."

Oscar and Axel hesitated at first, but their legs finally moved and slowly carried them down the dirt driveway of the prison yard. Reagan stood on the side of Axel, Daryl on the side of Oscar, where they escorted the two prisoners down to the bottom, making sure they didn't do anything stupid. Rick, Carol, T-Dog, Maggie, and Glenn all gathered behind the overturned bus while Reagan and Daryl secured the prisoners behind the gate. Reagan wrapped the heavy chain around the posts and Daryl snapped the padlock shut on it, his hands clutching onto the key ring as he turned to walk away. Reagan gave them one last look before turning to follow after Daryl.

"Come on, man!" Axel called to them, but the two cavaliers ignored them, Reagan hearing Rick speaking in a hushed tone,

"Are you serious?" He said and as Reagan and Daryl pulled around the corner of the bus, she saw that he was speaking to T-Dog, "You want them sleepin' in a cell right next to you? They'll just be waitin' for a chance to grab a weapon-you, do you really wanna go back to sleepin' with one eye open?"

"I never stopped." T-Dog said thoughtfully and sighed, "Bring them into the fold. If we send 'em off packin'... we might as well just execute them ourselves."

"I don't know... they both seem a little unstable." Glenn voiced and Carol followed after him,

"After all we've been through? We fought so hard for this, what if they decide to take it?"

Reagan scoffed at the word _we_. Carol barely did a thing to help take down the prison.

"It's just been us for so long..." Maggie said quietly and tilted her head, "They're strangers. It feels weird all of a sudden havin' new people around."

"You brought us in..." T-Dog said validly at Maggie and she shrugged her shoulders,

"You came to us with a shot boy in your arms... we had no choice." Reagan knew they were now speaking of the farm they used to be on. Long before Reagan's involvement in the group.

"They can't even kill Walkers." Glenn said and Carol looked over at him,

"They're convicts, bottom line!"

"But that might actually mean they got less blood on our hands than any of us does..." Reagan shrugged while looking over at Carol, "None of us are exactly what I would categorize as _angels_."

"I get guys like this... hell, I grew up with 'em." Daryl's raspy voice said and they all looked to him, "They're degenerates but they ain't psychos. I could've been in there with them just as easily as I'm in here with you guys."

"So you with me?" T-Dog asked confidently and Daryl scoffed,

"Hell no. Let 'em take their chances out on the road, just like we did."

"What I'm sayin' Daryl is-"

"When I was a rookie... I arrested this kid." Rick interrupted and they all looked to him, "Nineteen years old, wanted for stabbing his girlfriend. Kid loved her like a baby during the interrogation, the trial... suckered the jury. He was equitted due to insufficient evidence and two weeks later... shot another girl." Rick shook his head tiredly at T-Dog, "We've been through too much... our deal with them stands."

Without another word, Rick pushed past T-Dog and Daryl followed after him, along with Glenn, Maggie, and Carol. Reagan stared at T-Dog's defeated demeanor and his dark eyes looked to her, her lips drawing into a thin line, "There's just some things you can't change these days..."

**.:o:.**

"Alright, let's get 'em going!" Reagan called from the driver's seat of the Dodge, Carol, Maggie, and Daryl manning the rest of the vehicles behind her.

Reagan shut her door and started to engine to the tough truck, revving the engine and hearing it growl. She placed it in drive and pressed down on the accelerator, looking in through the rear view mirror to see them following after her up to the prison. Her brown eyes stared through the windshield and the truck's tires moved a bit faster, Reagan looking back into the rearview mirror unconsciously.

At the bottom of the way, Axel and Oscar watched them ascend back to the prison and leave them behind.

Reagan dismissed their presence the best she could as the Dodge finally hit the concrete of the nearest prison yard. Reagan pulled in and quickly whirling the steering wheel sharply to her right and shoving the truck into reverse. Her hand slapped down on the back of the passenger's seat as she stared over her shoulder, slowly backing the truck up along the fence line of the yard. She looked ahead of her and noticed Carol snapping the chain shut around the gate before retreating into Hershel's old Chevy to continue laying out the vehicles. Maggie waited patiently in front of Reagan to continue reversing, so continue reversing Reagan did.

With the quick turn of the key, Reagan shut off the Ram and shoved open the door, not forgetting her silenced pistol sitting cozily on the passenger's seat. She grabbed it up and slid out of the truck, shutting the door behind her. Reagan saw Maggie stepping out of the Hyundai, as well as Carol and T-Dog out of the Chevy, and slowly, they began to congregate in next to their cars. Reagan took a deep breath and crossed her arms, staring out at the farthest perimeter of the prison yard in front of her. Rick, Daryl, and Glenn stepped carefully through the tall grass outside the confines of the prisons fences, a few stray Walkers meandering about on the other side of the stagnate pond. They had set out to gather firewood so ridding of the decaying bodies now in _their_ yards would be a lot easier.

Her head turned once she heard the squealing iron door to the cell block open, a few people stepping out of the darkness behind it. Reagan smiled upon seeing Hershel gimping his way out on his crutches, Lori, Beth, and Carl keeping him steady as he went about. _'Just like a newborn calf'_ She mused to herself upon watching Hershel's wobbliness in trying to get used to the surrogate legs. Hershel made his way towards the small set of concrete steps, Lori keeping her hand on his chest as he attempted to hobble down them. Once his crutches and only foot connected with base ground, Reagan shoved off from a standing position and approached the four with a smile.

"Ready to race, Hershel?" Reagan heard Carl ask and Hershel looked to Carl,

"Give me another day... I'll take you on."

"And how's the old cripple doing on this fine morning?" Reagan smirked deviously and stopped next to Lori, staring into his deep blue eyes.

"Better watch your tongue, missy, or I might have to kick you with my only leg." Hershel retorted and Reagan laughed under her breath,

"I would gladly let you try because it would be something I would want to see." She said and saw Hershel smile under his thicket of whiskers.

"Yeah Hershel!" Glenn's voice echoed off the walls of the prison and their attention was now on Rick, Glenn, and Daryl, who had returned to the safety of the prisons fences.

Reagan planted her hands on her hips again, staring out at the men beyond the yard. They stood and stared at Hershel on his feet, Reagan knowing that they were utterly surprised, yet happy that he was up and running, so to speak. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maggie smiling at her father, nothing but rejoice lifting on her face. She was happy too, and so was everyone else. It wasn't just Reagan's help that kept him alive, it was the entire group. And without the help of the entire group, he would not be with them now.

But that soon would come into question when Reagan heard a word that should not be shouted in such happy times.

"Walkers!" Carl shouted from behind, his body whirling around to face the undead mob that was hurrying towards them, "Look out!"

In an instant, Reagan's hand slipped out her pistol, "Carl! Get your mom!"

Before Reagan could pop off a shot, she saw Lori slide out her small black revolver and fire it. Gunshots suddenly pierced the air and Reagan rushed forward, taking down a Walker with her knife before it could take another step towards Lori. Lori looked to Reagan with her wide blue eyes in thanks, but Reagan ignored it and grabbed onto Lori's arm, "Come on, to the cellblock!"

Reagan looked around to her other counterparts, seeing that they had their own situations under control. Beth and Maggie escorted Hershel to a gated corridor far off on the next wall while T-Dog and Carol returned cover fire.

"Mom! Get inside, quick!" Carl was quick to push both Lori and Reagan forward, Reagan not arguing and pulling Lori along with her. Carl covered the back, taking down a few Walkers as he followed and shutting the gate behind him.

In the distance, Reagan could hear Rick's strained shouts.

Reagan helped Lori the best she could, the two women, accompanied by Carl, rushing into the cellblock and slamming the iron door shut. Reagan whirled around and jumped through the doorway, Lori and Carl close behind as Reagan ran towards the cellblock. A mass of groans and hisses erupted into the doorway, Reagan's eyes practically bugging out of her head when she saw a massive collection of Walkers jumping out of the cellblock at her.

"That way! That way, hurry!" Reagan shouted, cursing mentally to herself. The Walkers had screwed over her plans to retrieve her trusty scythe.

Reagan slammed a barred door shut behind her and Lori, Carl keeping watch in the front. Reagan spun Lori around and kept her close to her, Reagan's silence pistol shaking in her hand and raised. Carl and Reagan rushed Lori as quickly as possible, Reagan jumping around corners and not even caring what jumped back at her. Back and forth they weaved through as many hallways as they could, Reagan not seeing any Walkers. She swallowed hard and looked back to Lori, seeing her breathing a bit harder than she or Carl.

"Slow down, slow down..." Reagan breathed and placed her hand on Lori's shoulder, "You alright?"

"Yes, let's just keep moving!" Lori nodded at Reagan and she turned around, seeing Carl waving at them to follow in the clear. Reagan looked behind them warily and pushed Lori forward, Lori rushing and keeping after Carl.

The three stopped dead in their tracks when a loud, blaring ring sounded throughout the halls of the prison.

"What is that!?" Carl asked over the loud, annoying sounds and Reagan looked to him,

"The prison sirens, someone must've turned them on!"

"Reagan!" Lori called and Reagan turned around, beginning to see Walker shadows rolling across the walls. She waved at Lori,

"This way, hurry!" She rushed around and Carl ran forward, pointing his pistol down hall and doorways as they passed. Reagan kept her eyes forward and her pistol drawn, not seeing any Walker shadows before them just yet.

"Mom!" Carl called and Reagan looked over her shoulder, seeing Lori pressed up against the wall and her hand on her belly.

"Lori, what's wrong!?" Reagan could see the pain and agony on her face, Reagan having half an idea of what was happening.

"Something's not right!" Lori groaned and Carl hurried to his mom's side,

"Are you bit!?"

"No..." Reagan shook her head and looked to Carl, her jaw tightening, "That baby... it's coming."

"What!?" Carl shouted, his face full of worry, "Now!?"

Lori leaned her back on the wall and squatted down, Reagan grabbing onto her arm, "Come on Lori, not here!" They all turned when a gang of Walkers came hurrying around the corner, Reagan's heart leaping, "Definitely not here!"

Reagan wrapped her arm around Lori's waist and pulled her along, Lori's legs only working at a moderate pace. Carl was now at the head of the pack as he led the two women throughout the tombs, trying to find a way out if possible. His blue eyes darted left and right, as well as his pistol, checking each opening to them the best he could. Lori coughed and cried out in pain, her fingernails digging into Reagan's skin. Reagan gritted her teeth and did her best to ignore Lori's tight grasp, her mind racing a million miles a minute.

Shadows struck across the wall in front of them, Carl immediately backtracking and shoving past Lori and Reagan. Reagan followed Carl as closely as she could, her movement limited with Lori's struggling body tight to hers. She followed Carl down another hallway, Carl keeping his pistol up and ready to fire. Lori whimpered as she walked, making Reagan's nerves skyrocket. If they didn't get Lori somewhere safe soon, Reagan feared that the situation would unfold into a kind one.

"In here!" Carl finally said and pulled open a door, his eyes darting about cautiously as Reagan and Lori rushed into the room.

Down a flight of steps, Reagan pulled Lori to a stop and she doubled over, holding her stomach while gasping and cringing. Lori's breathing was rather labored with her sudden contractions and looked over her shoulder at the door, Reagan staring at it as well. Reagan took a deep breath and grabbed at Lori again, "Come on... come over here."

Lori leaned on the wall and gritted her teeth, groaning and almost falling to her knees from a large contraction. Reagan kept her on her feet and into a larger area of the boiler room, "Lori, let's lay you down!"

"No... the baby's coming now!"

"W-we have to get back to our cellblock, where it's safe and-!"

"No!" Reagan looked over at Carl, her eyes wavering and her head shaking, "We can't risk getting caught out there. Your mom needs to give birth to the baby _here_."

Lori's breathing sped up and she wheezed and gasped, Carl staring worryingly at his mother, "What's wrong? Can't she breathe!?"

"She's fine!" Reagan called back to him, but kept her focus on Lori in front of her. Reagan reached around to Lori's front and hastily unbuttoned her pants, "Let's get you pants off!"

Reagan yanked at Lori's tight jeans, Lori grabbing onto a bar next to her to steady herself while Reagan did so. With a tug, Reagan began to peel the jeans off Lori's legs all the way down to her feet. Lori tried to keep her breathing steady, taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly, her body riddling in pain.

"Carl, watch the door!" Reagan looked to Carl quickly and Carl turned around with hesitation, keeping a sharp eye on the door down the small hallway. Lori got down on her knees and lied on her back, Reagan tugging at her pants to get them completely off her legs.

"You're gonna have to help me bring your baby brother or sister out since Hershel's not here... you up for it?" Reagan asked Carl once she noticed he was now turning back to face his mother on the floor. Carl nodded at her and watched Reagan toss Lori's pants to the floor, "Hold still Lori... I'm gonna see if your dilated."

Reagan lifted up the flap of Lori's long shirt and took a peek between Lori's legs, the darkness in the room inhibiting her eyesight. She growled to herself and reached for her belt, "Dammit... don't have my flashlight!"

"I gotta push! I gotta push..." Lori groaned and leaned up on her hands, Reagan helping Lori get to her feet so she would have an easier time. Carl moved out of the way and Lori finally stood to her feet, hunching over a table and sucking in a deep breath.

Lori whimpered and huffed, pushing her innards as hard as she could with the breath she had in her lungs. Reagan kept her hand on Lori's back, rubbing her shoulders unconsciously for comfort. Lori panted and took no time to breath as she drew in another deep breath, crying out in anguish at the indescribable pains of birth, "Somebody!?"

Reagan snatched up Lori's hand when she clawed for the air, Lori's grip constricting Reagan's hand as hard as it could. Reagan's hand shook in Lori's, but she kept her eyes lowered to her legs just in case she saw the water break, "I'm okay, I'm okay!" Lori said more to herself than Carl or Reagan and Reagan could hear the blind fear in her voice at what was happening.

"You're doing good, Lori!" Reagan reassured with a nod and patted her back, "Just keep doing what you're doing, you're body knows exactly what it's doing so let it do all the work!"

Reagan crouched down and reached her hand up between Lori's legs in order to try and feel for the baby's head. Lori heaved in another breath and cried out once again, Reagan feeling something splatter against her hand. But it wasn't watery, it was thick. "Lori stop pushing! Something's wrong!"

Lori gasped and panted, dipping her head and trying to gather herself. Reagan lowered her hand into whatever light there was in the room and her eyes widened. There was blood all over her fingers. "_Shit_..." She cursed under her breath and jumped to her feet, "L-Lori!"

Lori fell back against Reagan and her fingers latched onto Lori's arms, Lori's feet struggling to maintain balance. In her struggle, Lori practically used up all her energy in pushing and now Reagan knew for sure she was light headed. Reagan helped Lori to the ground and rested her as softly as she could down onto concrete, Lori's eyes closing out of fatigue.

"Mom!" Carl was at his mother's side, his hand taking hers as he kept his eyes on Lori. Reagan worked at the flap of Lori's shirt as she desperately tried to see what was going on that was causing her to bleed, "Mom! Look at me, look at me keep your eyes open!"

"We should try to get you back to the cellblock, the sirens are gone!" Reagan crawled to Lori's side and Lori shook her head,

"No... I'm not gonna make it." She breathed.

"Lori, with all this blood, I don't think you're fully dilated yet! No amount of pushin' is gonna help you!"

"We both know what it means..." Lori said tiredly, speaking for both of them. It was true, Reagan already had an idea on what was happening to Lori, but she didn't fully want to accept it.

"And I'm not losin' my baby..." Lori said and looked at Reagan, who was back down at Lori's knees, "You gotta cut me open..."

"Absolutely not!" Reagan stared hard back at her and Lori closed her eyes, "I can't do that to you! I've got to keep you safe!"

"You know you don't have a choice..." Lori exasperated and Carl let her hand go, jumping to his feet,

"I'll go get a blanket and-!"

"No!" Lori called to him and stopped Carl dead in his tracks. Reagan swallowed hard and leaned over Lori's legs,

"Look, even if I do it, the amount of pain you'll be going through and the blood that you'll lose! I have no anesthetic, no equipment to do a procedure like this!"

"You have your knife..." Lori assured and Reagan's jaw tightened at the thought of the blade sitting in its sheath on her belt. Reagan shook her head,

"You won't survive, Lori... I can't let you die!" Reagan argued, not wanting to accept the fact that she had to do it regardless. If Lori continued to lie in front of her and push, the hemorrhaging in her body would only intensify and kill them both. But if she cut Lori open, Lori would most surely die. She just couldn't cut Lori open. Rick entrusted Reagan with Lori's life, Lori's protection, and Lori's wellbeing. She didn't want to fail him.

"My baby has to survive..." Lori breathed once again and she closed her eyes, rolling her head, "Please... my baby..."

Reagan avoided Lori's blue eyes and closed her own, her stomach churning at the thought of cutting Lori open. Lori gasped, "For all of us... please! Reagan, _please_!"

Reagan felt warmth crawl up the back of her throat and when she opened her eyes, a stray tear rolled out of the confines of her lashes. Reagan shook her head down at Lori and Lori whimpered, "Please! You have to..."

Reagan closed her eyes again and placed her hand on Lori's belly, Lori's hand grabbing onto hers. Reagan lifted her head again and Lori pulled Reagan's hand towards her, along with her shirt. With her belly now exposed, Reagan's eyes narrowed when she saw an elongated scar stretching about her lower belly.

"You see my old C section scar?" Lori asked and Reagan only confirmed her question when their eyes met, "You can do this... for me. You have to..."

"I can't..." Reagan said quietly and felt another tear stain her dry cheeks. Lori's eyes then moved to Carl, her head shaking at him,

"Carl... I don't want you to be scared. Okay? This is what I want... this is right." She said to him and Carl nodded his head at her, Lori's eyes now opening fully to look at him, "Now you... you take care of your daddy for me, alright? And your little brother or sister, okay?"

"You don't have to do this!" Carl's voice cracked and the sound of it made Reagan's throat sink into the pit of her stomach. Reagan closed her eyes again while she listened to Lori's last words to Carl.

"Oh... you're gonna be fine!" Lori said with a smile and Carl quietly began to sob at the realization that his mother was dying before him, "You are gonna beat this world, I know you will! You are smart, and you are strong, and you are so brave! And I love you..."

"I love you too..." Carl sobbed, tears rolling down his cheeks and dropping onto Lori's chest. Lori took a deep breath,

"You gotta do what's right, baby... you promise me you'll always do what's right." Lori avoided Carl's streaming eyes and looked to the concrete wall, "It's always easy to do what's wrong in this world... so if it feels wrong... don't do it, alright? If it seems easy, don't do it, don't let the world spoil you!"

Tears now rolled uncontrollably down Reagan's face and she sniffled, looking up and to the wall next to her. Her hand trembled on her knee, Reagan pressing the back of her hand on her forehead as she hung it over her lap. She couldn't believe what was happening. What was happening was breaking her heart into three. Hearing Carl's cries and sobs next to Lori made Reagan wish she had magical hands and could just heal Lori right up after all this was over and done with.

"You're so good!" Lori cried and rubbed the tears off Carl's cheek with her thumb as she cupped his face, "My sweet boy! The best thing I ever did_... I love you_!"

Lori pulled Carl down in a hug and Reagan lifted her head, hearing Lori now beginning to cry hysterically. Reagan pressed her lips into the back of her hand, her warm tears trying to comfort her the best way that they could. Lori repeated her love for Carl over and over again, rubbing his hair down the back of his head and patting his back. Lori kissed his cheeks over and over again, finally letting him go and pushing him back up.

"Okay, okay!" Lori said and wiped away her tears, Carl now hovering over her once again. Reagan swallowed hard and took a deep breath, sliding her knife out of its sheath and tightly gripping it in her shaky fingers, "Reagan, when this is over, you're going to have to do it! It can't be Rick!"

"I know..." Reagan breathed and her gold eyes finally muscled the strength to stare at Lori, "Are you ready?"

"Yes... yes..." Lori nodded to herself and stared at the ceiling, her lips breathing out a deep breath, "Reagan... watch over Rick for me."

"I will." Reagan said under her breath and looked down at Lori's scar across her stomach. Slowly, Reagan's raised her knife to her belly and readied for what she had to do next.

"It's okay... it's okay..." Lori reassured Carl next to her, Lori taking in a few anticipating breaths. With one final, deep breath, Lori stared at the ceiling one last time, breathing out her last words, "_Goodnight, love..._"

"I'm sorry, Lori."

Reagan slashed her knife deep across the scar, Lori's body lurching and her blood curdling screams causing Reagan's ears to ring. Reagan gritted her teeth and concentrated the best she could, careful not to cut too deep and harm the baby. Blood cascaded out of the wound and onto the floor, Reagan's stomach turning once again.

"Stop it!" Carl shouted over his mom's cries and Reagan only ignored it, "Stop it! You're killing her!"

Reagan sliced one last time and Lori's echoing cries subsided, her eyes rolling into the back of her head and her neck rolling her face to the concrete. Reagan angrily cried and slid her fingers into the lip of the laceration she had just cut, her hands desperately searching for the baby. Blood poured out of Lori's stomach and careened up Reagan's arms. Carl looked back and forth from his unconscious mother to Reagan as she searched for the baby under Lori's skin. The eerie sounds of Reagan's hands moving around in the blood made goose bumps crawl on Reagan's skin, but she put that aside and looked over to Carl.

"Carl, give me your hand!" She asked and Carl looked to her, hesitating and only staring at Reagan's hand moving under Lori's belly, "Carl, please!"

Carl finally moved to Reagan's side and stared blindly at the large cut on his mother's stomach. Reagan looked to him, "Hold up this skin, I have to cut the placenta!"

Carl held up the flap of skin and Reagan reached in with both hands, slicing her knife across the membrane, "Keep it up, I don't want to cut the baby!"

Finally, Reagan had made it through and she tossed her blood caked knife to the floor. It clanged as it hit the concrete and Reagan's hand reached back in, her fingers wrapping around a limb of the infant inside, "I see it! Here it is..."

Slowly, Reagan's hands carefully pulled the baby out of the lips of Lori's lacerated belly, the bloody infant cradled in Reagan's fingers. Reagan finally took a deep breath upon seeing the small child and she couldn't help but smile upon its sight. She checked over the baby's body, not seeing any deformities or problems, and returned to the infants head, not seeing anything stir on its face. Reagan choked down captured air in her throat, a small sense of panic rolling through her when she realized the baby was not breathing. She tapped on the baby's chest a few times, but there was still no response.

She held the baby on its stomach and rubbed and tapped the baby's back in hopes she could jump start the baby's lungs. Her struggled breath rolled through her breath once the baby let out a small whine, Reagan smiled and placing the baby back on its back. Reagan's eyes darted down to the sex of the child, seeing that the infant in her arms was indeed a baby girl.

"Say hello to your little sister..." Reagan said as she looked to Carl, who seemed to smile somewhat. She watched him strip off his jacket and quickly hand it to her, Reagan wrapping the baby inside to keep her warm.

The baby cried a few more times and settled down, Reagan rocking her in her arms to keep her as quiet as possible. Upon seeing the umbilical cord still attached to Lori, Reagan reached for her knife and slashed the cord closer the baby's body. The baby began to cry and her tiny hands reached up to Reagan, her fingers gripping at her cheek as Reagan stared down at the infant. Reagan looked to Lori again and her smile faded, Reagan's puffy eyes closing tightly.

"Come on Carl, we have to go." Reagan reopened her eyes and stood to her feet quickly, sheathing her knife back on her belt. Carl looked up at her, eyes wide,

"W-we can't just leave her here!" Carl stood to his feet and looked to Lori, "She'll turn..."

"Yes... she will..." Reagan slipped out her pistol and pointed it at Lori, "_She will_..."

"No..." Carl said and pushed down Reagan's gun, Reagan watching as a large tear rolled down his cheek. He then reached for his own pistol and gripped it in his hand, "She's my mom... I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" Reagan asked, not wanting him to do something he would regret. But Carl only offered her a nod in reply.

Reagan looked back down at Lori, saying her silent goodbyes as she turned around, the baby crying in her ear. Reagan slowly made her way back down the small hallway towards the door to the boiler room, her dirty blonde hair being tugged on by the newborn cradled against her body. Reagan tiredly stepped up the small set of stairs and stopped at the top, closing her eyes and pressing the baby's head against her cheek. She softly cried and mumbled in the baby's ear, waiting, just waiting for it all to be over all ready. The baby mumbled back to Reagan and the baby's hand brushed up against Reagan's cheek, the smacking of her lips signaling that she was hungry.

Reagan jumped at the exploding gunshot that angrily echoed throughout the room.

The baby cried out from the sound and Reagan cooed in her ear, pressing her tight against her body for comfort. The baby calmed again somewhat and she nuzzled her face up against Reagan's neck. Reagan looked over her shoulder, seeing Carl marching from around the corner, his face solemn and desolate as he walked. Reagan opened her mouth to say something to the young teen, but knew it was best to keep her mouth shut to herself. She sniffled and felt the baby's light little breaths on her neck as she turned back to the door, Carl taking the lead and opening it. The baby whimpered a few times, Reagan patting the infants back to keep her calm and quiet. Just because the sirens were off and there were no sign of Walkers now didn't mean one cry from the baby would keep them safe.

Carl raised his pistol and looked back at Reagan, his eyes cold and distant as he stared. She nodded and him and followed his lead as he walked down the hallway, keeping an eye out for Walker movement. To Reagan, it seemed like they were moving in slow motion to find their way back to the cell block. Her eyes hurt so much from crying and her heart pounded against the little baby's body resting on her chest. She couldn't think to herself anymore. All she did was follow Carl throughout the cold, clammy concrete corridors of the prison around them and hope that he wasn't too broken to react to Walkers if they came across any. Reagan's only pistol pounded against her waist somberly as she walked and it was the only thing that was telling her brain that she was still moving. Reagan was suddenly becoming claustrophobic in the hallways and immediately became sick to her stomach. But she knew she couldn't stop now. She had to keep going and get Lori's baby to safety. _Lori's baby._

In one blink of an eye, Reagan stopped when she found herself back in the confines of the cellblock, Walkers bodies everywhere. She looked to the outside door to see it open. And in its openness, she could hear faint voices coming from the outside. Reagan's gold eyes stared down to Carl, who only stared at the large iron door leading outside, and without a word, he walked towards it and up the steps. Reagan instinctively followed after Carl to the stairs. _One step. Two step. Three step._

Reagan wheezed when her mind finally came back to her and her body began to tremble. The voice she could hear just outside the doorway she stood in was Rick's frantic voice. _It was Rick_. Reagan swallowed hard and closed her eyes, her hysterics all coming back to her in one swift motion. Tears claimed the dryness of her sweaty, bloody face and she gritted her teeth, almost forgetting the baby was in her arms. But when she felt the little girl's hand ball up against the bareness of her chest, her eyes jumped open and she looked down to the child, hearing her mumbling against her neck. Reagan's breathing began to quicken at the thought of Rick. What was she going to tell him? What was there to be said to him?

She couldn't stand in the doorway forever. It would be killing Rick more wondering where they were or what happened to them rather than knowing full on.

A ray of sun hit Reagan's skin, warming it as she walked through the iron doorway and outside. Her boots treaded lightly across the metal walkway, and eventually, she crawled down the stairs in front of her. Carl was at her side and as soon as Reagan laid her eyes on Rick, the baby let out a loud, soft mumble against her skin. Rick's words halted and his entire body tensed, his head flicking around to find the source of the sound. Reagan clenched her eyes shut and her lips drew thin as her fingers pushed open the door in front of her, its squeal causing everyone to look her direction.

As soon as she opened her eyes, they somehow connected with Rick's. She walked slowly out of the doorway, Carl moving away from her and only keeping his eyes on the ground. The baby began to become restless again, her baby voice whimpering and blubbering. As Reagan approached them, her breath halted in her throat as she saw Rick beginning to walk towards her. She stopped and sniffled, her bloody hands keeping tight around the baby. Rick narrowed his eyes at her and tilted his head, the axe in his hand scraping across the ground and ultimately falling from his fingers. He wiped his hands down on his confused face as he stared at the baby, then up to Reagan's broken demeanor. He shook his head, his eyes searching for some sign of Lori past Reagan. Reagan's lips quivered as she tried to utter words to him about what happened, but the only thing she managed to breathe was Rick's name.

"W-where... where is she?" Rick stammered, his body now pacing around in shock. Reagan swallowed down all the air caught in her throat and tried to speak again, but the look on his face made her broken heart shatter into pieces.

"R-Rick! No!" Reagan attempted to stop Rick as he tried to move past her, but her bloody fingers slipped from the dirty cloth of his white t-shirt. Reagan took a couple steps back as Rick stopped next to Carl, his hands reaching up and pressing to his face.

He looked down at his distant son, Carl not moving and only staring at the ground. Rick coughed and sobbed, sliding his hands to his knees, "No... no..." He spit out over and over again, his strong voice now cracking with the sobs of his sorrow. Rick leaned back up and turned around, uttering his words in his cries and trying to find what to do with himself.

Reagan's free hand pressed against her bloody face and with her fatigued grievance caused her feet to buckle out from under her. She fell to her knees and cried against her hand, the baby's hands tapping against Reagan's chest and her small whimpers flooding her eyes. Her body trembled and she spit her own whimpers through her hand. Her tangled blonde hair did its best to comfort both her and the baby, but even it knew that there was no way possible it could do so. Reagan realized that she had failed. She had failed at the only thing she lived in this world to do. Protect people she cared about.

Through the blurry veil of her tears as she opened her eyes, Rick collapsed to the ground in his saddening regret.


End file.
